Life could have been so different
by Taranea
Summary: Someone has died and Sonic finds himself unable to pick up the pieces. Luckily, his self declared pal Shadow drops in and tries to retrieve the spirit of the broken hero. Just what has the black hedgehog got in store...and why does he even bother?
1. Prologue: Death of a Friend

**Disclaimer**: I do not own Sonic the Hedgehog, Shadow or Tails. They´re all property of (turns on Gamegear) (artificial voice) SE-GA!  
Also, any song lyrics that may appear in the first chapter are taken from "The Chosen One" by A2, taken from the game "Shadow the Hedgehog", sometimes slightly altered. Btw, can you be sued for excessive use of game quotes? ;)

**Important Note**: If you like drama, there will be lots. If you like fluff, humour and the occasional cuteness, you´ll find that there are large amounts of that as well, you just have to read past the first two chapters. Please take note of this fic´s two genres, I take both very seriously. Thanks for reading!

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**Life could have been so different**

_by Taranea_

**Chapter 1: Death of a Friend**

Sonic stared at the rain outside, grey water droplets spattering against the window. His face was expressionless, although if someone knew him well enough, they could see the fury in his eyes, though overshadowed by an even greater sadness...

_I can't remember what I used to be_ -

_Something's turned me all around…_

It was days like this one that were the worst; it had happened during a storm much like today and the memories had haunted the hedgehog ever since.

When dark grey clouds covered the sky he was forced to remember the day his friend had died. A lightning bolt briefly illuminated his face and the resulting thunder completely drowned out a single whispered word...

"Tails…"

Images flooded his mind once again.

OoO

"Sonic! He's right behind us!" the two-tailed fox already sounded out of breath, it was only a matter of time until he would need to slow down.

"I know, lil' buddy! We need to get out of here and fast!" his nervous blue companion responded, towing the smaller kitsune behind him. The red lights flashing everywhere and the sirens blaring did little for his comfort. The sound of their feet clattering on the metal floor pounded in his ear.

Robotnik in his egg-shaped hover car was quickly catching up, since he knew his own fortress better than the both of them by far. Still, they had to get to the control room before him, or else…

OoO

"Yo, Sonic! What's up? Feeling _blue_ again, are we?" the newcomer winked before closing the door, obviously finding his own pun hilarious.

The Mobian in question turned angrily back to the window. That black hedgehog again, of all places!

"Go away, faker."

"Jeez, what's up with you? The name is Shadow, S-H-A-D-O-W. You know, the Ultimate Lifeform, the Black Blur, the fastest thing alive?" the dark hedgehog grinned as he listed his various nicknames.

Sonic only receded into an angry silence, feeling the other was defiling the memory of his friend. Once again he could not help recalling those final moments…

OoO

"Tails! You have to disable the countdown of Eggman's rocket, I'll distract him!"

The small fox only nodded, his breath now coming in rapid gasps. Sonic dropped him in front of the console where the red numbers were growing ever smaller and sped away to face the would-be world conqueror.

He had only made it to the next room when the human already arrived, fully geared up and ready to fight.

"Your scheme ends here, Doc!" Sonic yelled, leaping into a spindash. Robotnik had been prepared, however, and the hedgehog rebounded harmlessly from a force field around the Egg-O-Matic. Playing with the controls, he glided just a little bit out of Sonic's reach.

"Tsk, tsk, Sonic, I really would have expected something more original from you…what happened to creativity these days? And your dialogue bit there was just awful."

In truth, the blue hero only wanted to distract his enemy, buying Tails time to stop the rocket with the nuclear power core from crashing into Station Square. The impact would wipe out the entire capital, not to mention the radioactive material getting blasted into the atmosphere…

"I don't have time for this, Doc!" the hedgehog shouted not quite truthfully and leapt again, only missing the hovercraft by inches. "Now give up before I work you into a pancake!"

"Is that so, Sonic?" the doctor retorted and simultaneously fired a cluster of missiles at his bouncing nemesis. Sonic dodged them easily enough and only realized his mistake when something else hit him from behind.

"No!"

"Oh yes, Sonic, oh yes…" Robotnik chuckled maliciously, watching the now helpless hedgehog struggling futilely in a floating bubble. It was one of his masterpieces, the idea had come to him when he had seen the pesky rodent running around in one of his ball-shaped shields – just make the thing float and ta-daa! A prison that even those infamous blue spines could not penetrate.

Even now, Sonic remembered the terrible feeling of being suspended in midair, unable to get a firm hold, unable to create even the slightest bit of friction so he could use his speed or his spin attack…only able to wriggle and squirm as the doctor made his way into the control room, easily navigating the portable prison and his captive using a magnet beam.

Present Sonic squeezed his eyes shut, trying to shut out what came next, but to no avail.

"Hold it right there, fox boy!"

Tails stared at the pair, his hands still in a mess of wires where he had opened up the console. Pearls of sweat stood upon his forehead and the countdown was only a matter of minutes.

"Sonic!"

Robotnik laughed-- the glint of triumph in his eyes. In his red garments, he looked like a horribly distorted version of Santa, delivering a dead puppy for Christmas.

"Yes, your friend is in quite a predicament! But so are you, which you have already found out, no doubt," he bent down to the hedgehog still floating in front of his vehicle with an evil glint in his eye. "You see, rodent…I've rigged the console. Whoever decides to stop the countdown without knowing the password and just cuts the trigger cable…will be blown to bits! A carefully contained blast, now what could be of more entertainment?!"

Sonic punched the bubble wall in front of him in desperation, not being able to bear the thought.

"You…!"

Robotnik only chuckled, cutting into and drowning out Sonic's muffled speech. "Now, now, let's keep this K-rated, shall we? As for you Tails…I might be persuaded to let you go, if you step carefully away from those cables now. As I told you, it'd be your death otherwise…"

The young fox looked from the scientist to his friend, then at the console and felt his pulse racing. He was well aware of the fact that during all this talking the last precious minutes were ticking away.

"Tails!" Sonic's voice jerked him back to the present. "Tails, leave! I can deal with him! I don't want you to get hurt!"

The hedgehog knew that his friend probably saw right through his words, he himself could see that in his current situation he had no chance of "dealing" with Eggman, but he just couldn't stand letting his adopted little brother die!

"You want to say good-bye to your friend now?" Robotnik interjected with a horrible grin, drawing a laser-gun from his belt to point at Sonic. "There's no way you'll ever interfere with my schemes again, Sonic the Hedgehog…"

"NO!" Tails´ hand with the wire-cutter hovered over the cable that would both stop the countdown and detonate the bomb when he cut it. The human had claimed that the blast would be contained, but the young technical genius could see that this was obviously not quite accurate.

"Let him go, Robuttnick, I mean it! Or else…" He took a deep breath, preparing himself for what he was about to do.

"Tails, _don't!_" Sonic threw himself against the boundaries of his prison, pressing both his face and palms against it. Robotnik himself was obviously stunned for the moment that the fox would even think of doing such a thing.

"Sayonara, Sonic the Hedgehog…"

Tails smiled at his friend for the last time and sliced through the cable.

_To be continued..._

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Allright, so there´s the first chapter. The next one will finish up with Sonic´s story and explain why our favorite ebony emo is suddenly king chipper. I hope you liked it and if you read, please review! I beg of you, Shad-, wait, wrong line. XD

Also, I want to apologize to any Tails-fans, I like the li´ll guy too! He's alive in my other fics...

To finish this off, a big thanks to Akemi Nyoko who has been beta-ing my chapters so far (comma rules not _really_ being my strong suit XD). ShadAmy is her specialty, so if you like that pairing, please check her stories out:)


	2. Lonely Grave, Broken Hero

The young fox had indeed been right. This was no 'carefully contained blast' as the doctor had believed, but an all-out explosion. It engulfed Tails and the console in white, blazing fire and the resulting shockwave smashed both Sonic and Robotnik into the wall.

The hedgehog felt the somewhat muffled impact and the force of the explosion going past him. The former shield and present prison bubble protected him from the worst, but shattered under the force of the detonation.

Adrenaline and fear for his friend propelled Sonic to his feet. The smoke made him cough and choke, but he still could not believe what had just happened, "TAILS! _Tails_, are you there?!"

No reply.

Reason told him that there was nothing to look for anymore, but he still raced over to the smoldering rubble, almost tripping during the process. Frantically, he tried to tear through the wreckage, to find his friend miraculously uncharred beneath the remains of twisted metal. But as soon as he had touched the first fragment, he tore his hand away with a sharp yelp. That stuff was so hot it was still soft!

Sonic's hands dropped to dangle limply by his side, his knees nearly buckling to send him crashing into the rubble as he stared at what was left of the console and the destroyed wall.

The whole form of the hedgehog was shaking silently and violently as he realized that there was no way the young kitsune could have survived.

Then, jade eyes burning like dying suns, he turned around with a snarl; his gaze searching the smoke-filled ruins of the room for any trace of Robotnik.

The human had received an equal portion of the blast but, like Sonic, the force-field around his vehicle had prevented him from getting killed. His body lay unconscious on the floor in the fractured remains of his hovercraft where it had been smashed against the wall.

Sonic's eyes narrowed and he stepped towards the prone form, every muscle in his body quivering in barely suppressed rage, his breath rasping in his throat.

Inches away now from the enemy, he stopped. The hedgehog's fists clenched and unclenched as he stood before the one responsible for the death of his best friend; by now he was seeing the world though a red mist.

Sonic was no murderer.

Part of him wanted to curl up and spindash Robotnik. He wanted to slice him to pieces so badly that it hurt, but at the same time he knew that no amount of killing could bring his little brother back.

Would Tails have wanted him to kill the doctor? Could killing him now even prevent further innocent lives from being taken? What happened to the soul of someone who had a death at his hands? Sonic screamed again, this time in sheer mental agony when he was faced with a decision he couldn't bear taking.

As if on cue, a loud crack and the sound of breaking metal erupted through the building. His eyes snapped open to see another portion of the ceiling coming down, the whole room now shaking. One of the supports damaged by the explosion had finally come down and the result was now threatening to bury both the hedgehog and the human alike. Other explosions were coming from adjoining rooms, obviously used for storing various weapons.

Sonic knew that his chances of getting out of the crumbling fortress were decreasing with every second passing. If he didn't finish Robotnik, (somehow he didn't feel like using his nickname ever again), off now…

His heart was racing as he stared down at the human, another wall slowly denting in nearby.

_He couldn't do it._

The realization that he could not take another life hit him with surprising force. He stumbled, turned, and then raced away, dodging the metal plating falling down from above.  
He had no killer instinct. Maybe the doctor would die in his own fortress…

With tears still streaming from his eyes, Sonic reached the exit and accelerated as a metal beam hit the spot he'd just been in and sealed the only escape route permanently.

A lone sonic boom sounded over the barren landscape, mingling with the thunder raging in the sky. After what seemed like hours the hedgehog finally stopped running and dropped to his knees.

The storm had eventually abated a little and the next day might even turn out to be a fine one, but the fire of burning stars in those jade eyes now seemed to have been replaced by black holes.

_I am sorry…oh, so sorry…_

OoO

"He-_llo?_! Are you even listening to me?" the black hedgehog snapped his gloved fingers repeatedly, trying to attract the attention of his blue counterpart. "I don't get why you're so moody all the time, have your quills tied into a knot overnight or something?" he burst out laughing at the thought.

Sonic turned around with a snap, "I thought I had told you to shut up, experiment."

The other stopped laughing but still beamed at him, "Ooo_oooh_. Ouch. Hey, I might be an experiment, but at least I have brought some benefit to the people on this planet."

Sonic only grunted. That at least was true. Soon after the disaster at Robotnik's base, the scientific revolution that was currently refusing to leave his room had been all over the news.

Even in the most remote areas where he had been hiding himself away at that time, one had been unable to miss all of the radio broadcasts, television shows, and newspaper articles telling of the renowned scientist Professor Gerald Robotnik and his success in finally finding a cure for NIDS, the Neuro-Immune Deficiency Syndrome, a genetic disposition that could otherwise prove fatal.

Of course, the fact that he was one of the few scientists that had survived the disaster aboard the space colony ARK had helped the media hype along somewhat.

"So whaddaya say we go out there and have a race against the lightning bolts? C'mon, it'll be fun!" the black hedgehog persisted, eagerly igniting his hover skates and floating a few inches above the ground.

Sonic looked away, unable to bear the sight of the other much longer and the memories that he, too, brought back.

He knew it wasn't fair to blame Shadow for this, but still…when the escapee had arrived, the whole media had fallen in love with the picture of the professor and his story about what exactly had happened during the catastrophe at ARK. Photos of Gerald Robotnik at his press conferences were on all the front pages, his fame almost eclipsing the reputation of the _other _member of the Robotnik family, who was still wanted all over the world...

The death of Tails, who had helped Sonic to stop the doctor from conquering the world so many times, had not been mentioned _once_.

Of course, Sonic thought bitterly, had it been _him_ who got killed, they might have done something, but the stories about Shadow were simply so much more _interesting_ than the self-sacrifice of a simple side-kick, weren't they…

Only he, Knuckles, Amy, and Cream had been there when the empty coffin was lowered into the grave. No great ceremony. No memorials. Those ungrateful humans…

He shook his head, trying to tear himself away from those images. Nearly nobody had been able to comfort him at that time. Instead, he himself had been forced to try to cheer up little Cream. Meanwhile Amy, while clingy at the best of times, had been crying on his shoulder until his back spines were positively dripping. The echidna had slightly better control of his feelings, but he too, was only able to express his sympathy by laying a hand on Sonic's shoulder, a gesture that was incredibly rare for him, but all the more valuable to the hedgehog.

_Wish I may, wish I might, be someone else tonight- _

_Sometimes I wish I'd never been born at all…_

"Hey, you a jukebox or what?"

Sonic looked up angrily, somewhat humiliated. He didn't know where he had heard that song before, but obviously the blue hedgehog had been subconsciously humming along to the lyrics in his head.

"You really want me to hurt you, don't you?"

Shadow only grinned and shot back without missing a beat. "First you have to race me! Or…" a dangerous glint entered his eye, "fight me."

_To be continued..._

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Right, so this was the second chappie :) . Next one, we go into Shadow´s history in a bit more detail and maybe have a look at the present situation, what with two robotniks now at large. I hope you liked it, please read and **review**!


	3. Part I: The Story begins

Sonic eyed Shadow warily.

Both of them knew well that Sonic's threat was virtually empty. The hedgehog never used violence against other living beings, and if so, then only in self-defense.

Shadow, on the other hand, didn't.

He was generally known as ruthless, even if he didn't attack unprovoked or acted out of cruelty. While Sonic had been the protector of the planet against Dr. Robotnik, one never knew where you stood with his mysterious ebony look-alike.

Underneath that cheerful exterior Shadow could be _deadly_ serious.

Sonic wondered for the first time whether Tails would still be alive if he had been more like the other hedgehog. If he had only had the guts to kill Robotnik earlier in their previous encounters…

He closed his eyes and inhaled deeply. 'What if?' thinking was the worst he could do. That road could only lead him ever deeper into despair…

As if he hadn't hit rock bottom already.

With Tails gone, he hadn't had the courage to continue fighting anymore, and Dr. Robotnik's latest scheme had only failed when Shadow and Knux had joined the fight… (After the latter had got his Chaos Emeralds stolen for what seemed like the umpteenth time).

_I am sorry...oh, so sorry..._

_Is this what I have become?_

Shadow, as if sensing that something was happening inside Sonic, dropped to the ground and moved closer.

"Something's the matter now? I would have been expecting you to forcibly eject me ten minutes ago."

Blue eyelids snapped open and the self-proclaimed Ultimate Lifeform found himself fixated by an emerald stare, "How, Shadow? How can you kill?"

"_What?!_ What the hell are you going on about; I wasn't going to _kill_ you…"

"No, but you could. What is it, Shadow? Why are you not in the least concerned, why are you so goddamn _happy_ all the time, why…why is my life not like yours!" Sonic blurted out.

Shadow only stared, taken aback by the blue hedgehog's words. He was not one who talked about feelings a lot and he had never heard anyone else talk about them, besides Maria.

This brutal honesty from the usually sulky blue hedgehog had taken him completely off guard. For the first time, he could see the sadness in the other's eyes, the guilt that had always lingered just beneath the surface. He stopped smiling and stared at his blue counterpart, now serious, "What do you know about my life?"

Sonic couldn't stop himself anymore, "Well, you're suddenly this big-shot hero ´cause you're the oh-so-precious cure for this weird illness and everything in your life is just, just…_perfect_ and you do whatever you want without being depressed or down for once in your life!"

He stood there now, breathing deeply and trying to control himself again, still staring at the black hedgehog with those blazing eyes.

Shadow's expression was unreadable. He wasn't sure whether he liked this new turn of events, but there was this spark in the other's eyes, a spark of a fire he hadn't seen burning for a long time…

"That's not what I meant, Sonic. That was what was in the news. Now what do you _really_ know about my life?"

"What's the matter with the life of a goddamn experiment?!" Sonic was being unfair now, but he didn't care. Admitting his hurt to the other hedgehog was too painful.

Ignoring the insult, Shadow shrugged and went on, "You wanted to know why I am like I am. Now, you can choose to cling to what you think you know or you can listen to me."

Sonic looked up, a questioning expression in his eyes.

"I can tell you how I was created-- what happened aboard the ARK," Shadow was slightly surprised at himself. He wasn't usually very talkative, but suddenly found this prospect quite interesting. Nobody had ever asked for his version of events, the people usually more interested in asking the professor for any details.

Sonic seemed to hesitate for a moment, but then...

"Right. Tell me."

"Okay…are you gonna race me when I'm finished?" a slight grin appeared on the black hedgehog's face. He just loved competitions and this blue hedgehog was the only one he'd found that could match him. And if the news reports Shadow had found in the archives were anything to go by, Sonic must have once been one hell of a racer and fighter…'_Just what had happened_?' wondered the former experiment.

Sonic didn't reply, but Shadow seated himself on the couch anyway, "Okay, this may take some time…"

OoO

The brilliant scientist stroked his giant moustache nervously, his brow covered in sweat.

This could be it, the final break-through. His hand hovered over the button that would activate the Chaos Drives and send their incredible power, channeled by his personal copy of a Chaos Emerald, coursing through the wires connected with his latest experiment. Currently, it still floated peacefully in the tube, suspended in the warm, soothing nutrient liquid, but now the project should finally reach its conclusion!

Professor Gerald Robotnik took a deep breath to calm his nerves, drew himself to his full height and activated the Drives.

The Chaos Emerald started to glow, spinning and rising into the air simultaneously, while still being connected to the wires. Energy rushed through the cables, sparks flying off everywhere while the machine started to whine, in danger of overload.

Suddenly the experiment started to jerk. Watching the convulsing form with nervousness and trepidation, Gerald hardly dared to move, as if a single twitch from him could unbalance the whole process.

The creature's muscles spasmed wildly, its head thrashed from side to side while ever more energy was pumped into the black body to the point of bursting. Suddenly the mouth opened wide to emit its first scream, but before one single sound could escape, the whole form collapsed and hung limply in the wires again. A single, drawn-out beeping sound from the heart monitor told the Professor that another one of his experiments had died without ever opening its eyes.

OoO

"What?! Just wait a minute, here…!"

Shadow looked at Sonic, annoyed. He had been going so well there, too. "What is it?"

"Are you trying to tell me you _died_?!"

The Ultimate Lifeform pinched the skin above his nose with forefinger and thumb. On some people, good storytelling was just wasted. "Well, dead hedgehogs don't tend to talk, so what do _you_ think?" he didn't wait for an answer but instead continued his narration.

OoO

The scientist sighed, deactivated the fake emerald, and slowly went over to the tube and his dead creature. With a last, desolate look, he then punched in the code for ejection at the control panel and watched as the liquid slowly drained through the freshly opened hole in the floor. The black hedgehog with the orange markings twirled once in the green water before vanishing into the pitch-black darkness beneath.

Maybe tomorrow would bring the day when one of his creations finally survived.

Maybe tomorrow his granddaughter Maria could finally be cured.

Maybe tomorrow…

When the last drop of liquid had gone, he turned around and left the laboratory, switching off the lights. The door moved behind him with a soft swishing noise and in a tube next to where the hedgehog that had died today had been, another experiment continued its peaceful slumber; red stripes on black fur gleaming in the last rays of light from the closing door.

OoO

"Aaaaah, so that wasn't actually you!"

"_Will_ you stop interrupting?!"

OoO

Outside, his granddaughter Maria was waiting for him. She immediately sensed that things today hadn't been going too well and tried her best to cheer him up.

"Hey, grandpa! Would you maybe like to play Monopoly? You can even have the bank, if you want to..."

Even though most of her days were pretty lonely, she wasn't too unhappy aboard the space station, at least, most of the time. She knew very well that her grandfather was conducting important research that, in turn would help her; although the concept of immune deficiencies induced by a corrupted genetic code was still beyond her.

Despite that, she was pretty intelligent for her age, and actually intended to follow the family tradition of devoting herself to scientific research. She was the first female in the Robotnik line for generations and had big footsteps to fill, since already her great-grandfather had been known as the first human ever to fully decipher the prophecies found deep down in the temples of the Mystic Ruins.

OoO

Sonic found that he wasn't even listening anymore. Maria wasn't the most interesting subject to him, (although she obviously was to Shadow who had now been recounting details for a full ten minutes and was still going strong), but that wasn't the main reason. He was thinking about something else from the beginning of that story that now deeply disturbed him.

The professor had killed that other, orange-striped hedgehog without seeing so much more than another failed experiment in him. The blue hero shuddered at the thought of what might have happened to the body. He deeply wondered what Shadow must have felt when he got to know this, (obviously somebody must have told it to him), seeing as that other hedgehog could so easily have been him.

Sonic already felt sorry for calling him an experiment, when the ghastly truth what that really meant hit home. _The mind and machines of someone else deciding whether you lived or died…_ maybe that was why Shadow was enjoying his life so much, when he knew better than anyone else just what a rare gift it was.

But was that all there was to it?

He looked up when Shadow had stopped talking and was drinking from a bottle of soda that had stood on the table. The black hedgehog screwed up his face in disgust since said beverage had been there for more than ten days and hurriedly filled himself a glass of water at the sink; all the while making retching noises and occasional curses before finally turning around to Sonic again, "Interested yet?"

Sonic nodded slightly, barely visible. He really had wanted to be left alone today, to think of Tails when nobody else was thinking of him...but now there was something else, feelings long-forgotten that arose anew. Curiosity most of all, but to Sonic it was more important that he felt anything, when for seemingly an eternity there had only been this terrible emptiness.

Shadow returned to the couch and sat opposite to his counterpart. Outside the storm raged and was still building up as he plunged both of them into his story anew.

_To be continued..._

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Allright, another chapter done! Not much action in there, I apologize, but there will be again in future chapters. Thanks for reading and please_ review_:)


	4. Black Bacteria

**Chapter 4: Black Bacteria**

"But why does it have to be a _hedgehog_? "

"Maria!" The professor's head snapped round and he instantly rushed over to his grandchild.

"You shouldn't even be in here! It's too dangerous for you!" He tried to pull her away from where she stood and push her towards the exit, but the blonde girl remained stubborn.

"I know, but I got bored. Why _does _it have to be a hedgehog?"

Gerald gave up trying to move her and looked at the tube that Maria was eyeing critically. In a kinder voice he asked, "What's wrong with hedgehogs?"

"Kitties are cuter." she pouted, then added, "And hedgehogs stink."

Her grandfather had to smile. "Not the anthropomorphic ones, they don't. At least," he continued after some thought, "not if they use some showering gel."

"Oh, grandpa!" Maria giggled, and then continued more seriously, "But I bet there's another reason."

"You're right, there is," the scientist continued over to a metal cupboard and pulled a large poster from a drawer, which he unrolled carefully in front of him. It was a large-scale photograph taken of an ancient stone tablet, "See what this is?"

Maria squinted, trying to make sense of it. It depicted a battle, as far as she could see – on the right side, there were waves towering and what seemed to be a grotesque sort of tentacle monster rising out of them, its big jaws opened to emit a ray of energy. It seemed to be translucent, like a jellyfish, since when she looked at the monster's long, drawn out, massive head, Maria could actually see its brain floating behind the large eyes…She felt her stomach churn and hurriedly looked away.

In the middle, seven weird, crystal-like shapes were discernible and they surrounded…she gasped, spun round to look at the experiment in the tube, then examined the picture more closely again before finally turning to face her grandfather, her eyes wide in confusion, "It's…it's him! The hedgehog-thing in the picture! But how…"

The professor shook his head, smiling sadly, "Not quite. I tried as hard as I could, but I still won't succeed." He pointed at the creature's head, "See there? In the picture, the floating hedgehog's quills are all turned up. My experiment's, however…"

Maria looked at the suspended form again. She, too, saw now that unlike the picture, the black and red hedgehog's spines all pointed towards the ground.

OoO

"But your quills are turned _up_."

Shadow silently counted to ten. "Yes, Sonic, some of them are." He ran a hand along one of them and asked, "Do you know what stone tablet I was talking about?"

The blue hedgehog creased his forehead in a frown, "Not exactly, no. That tentacle monster though…was that Chaos?"

Shadow nodded, "Yes, that tablet showed a prophecy. The professor's father had been studying Echidna culture, or what remained of it, and found it deep down in the temples of the Mystic Ruins. It showed you, Sonic, in your Super form. You and the Chaos emeralds, fighting against the God of Destruction."

Sonic raised his eye ridges, "Really? So that prophecy came true, huh?" He pondered over this for a bit, then finally came out with "So you really _are_ based on me!" managing a small grin he added: "…faker."

Shadow scowled, "Yes, Sonic, thank you for summing up the story of my whole life with such quaint words. If I ever again need help shortening my narrations, I'll turn to you."

Sonic held up his palms, "Okay, okay, I'm sorry. Please continue, oh Ultimate Lifeform…"

The black hedgehog shot his counterpart a dark look. Sometimes he started to wonder whether a depressive and broody Sonic might not be the better alternative after all…inwardly, though, he grinned. Maybe the old Sonic was still there?

Clearing his throat, he continued:

OoO

"Is that actually important?"

"I believe so," Gerald had turned back to his experiment again and was musing over it thoughtfully. Previously he had tried to use reptiles but that had turned out disastrous. He shuddered when he thought of the prototype he had created, a giant lizard that was now imprisoned deep down aboard the ARK.

It should have been his crowning glory, the cure to end Maria's suffering, but the blind, toothless, mindless beast it became instead now haunted his dreams. It wasn't even able to survive without life-support. Still, he thought wistfully, at least it _had_ survived, unlike the hedgehogs that kept dying at his hands.

"Normal intelligent hedgehogs down on earth have their quills turned down. His…" – he pointed at the picture again – "...are not. I am not sure why this is so, but it could be a clue on my way towards my goal."

Maria looked at him doubtfully. Upturned quills weren't her idea of scientific revolution, but she kept her mouth shut.

"Now go back to your room, my angel, I want to start on some experiments in here and you could catch something."

The girl sighed and went. She knew that due to NIDS the most harmless bacteria and germs could be deadly to her, which was why she'd been living in almost total isolation aboard the ARK for years now, breathing nothing but filtered air and having only contact with humans who had disinfected their clothing first and were otherwise in perfect health – but sometimes it was so _boring._

Gerald waited until the door had closed behind her, and then moved towards the refrigerator where the tissue samples and other organic material were stored. He glanced around nervously again, then pushed the button to open the uppermost of the drawers. It slid open with a hiss, the surrounding water in the air condensing instantly with the sudden drop of temperature.

The professor reached through the mist, extracting one of the phials with trembling fingers.

It contained an opaque, almost black liquid, which seemed nearly alive in its swirling. Tests had confirmed that the liquid was actually a mass of living bacteria, floating in a solution. The scientist had not talked about it to any of his other colleagues for fear of being ridiculed or even declared senile; the reason being that he had found that probe placed one morning in his very own, private lab that he carefully locked each night before going to bed.

He had no idea how it had got there, and was actually developing a slight paranoia about it.

After conducting a series of tests on the monocellulars, he had found that they were a kind that had not been previously found or identified anywhere on earth.

OoO

"Look, Shadow, I don't wanna be rude, but is this actually important?"

The ultimate life-form ground his teeth, "Yes, it is, so show patience for once in you life, okay?" The semi-automatic handgun he kept stored in his quills seemed ever more appealing.

OoO

They did not seem to multiply, but didn't die either. Could they actually contain the secret to eternal life? Upon giving to them a piece of living tissue, he had observed that the bacteria could actually connect to the cells, changing the genetic code into an unknown combination.

Last but not least, the entire colony was emitting a faint radiation of what he was sure was chaos energy. All of it very puzzling, but none very helpful.

The plan to inject it into one of his experiments had formed in his mind as soon as he had discovered the gene-changing properties. He had been afraid of what the creatures might cause in a living organism but now his most recent failure gave him new determination. If he couldn't succeed with his old methods, maybe it was time to try something new.

He turned to the tube that contained the red-striped hedgehog and carefully poured the black liquid into an opening at the side. With the push of a few buttons, a syringe started to descend, its needle neatly piercing the skin of the hedgehog's upper arm. The creature did not flinch as the bacteria were pushed into his bloodstream, but Gerald was so nervous he might have fainted.

As soon as the process was finished, a data screen informed the professor that the heart beat was increasing and the temperature rising, but none of it dangerous. The scientist waited for another two hours but even as he grew increasingly frustrated, nothing happened.

_'Its body temperature probably killed him,'_ he thought miserably. A natural defense mechanism. _'Oh well, I should have known that it wouldn't work,'_ sighing, he left the laboratory once again, wondering just how many more defeats he would be able to bear.

Little known to him, almost half of the experiment's cell structures had been changed by now and four of the quills attached to his head were slowly rising…

OoO

"Wow. I have been wondering about that, anyway. What stuff were these bacteria, shampoo for extra volume?"

Shadow grinned. "Now, now, I wouldn't ruin the suspense, would I?"

"Shadow, the "suspense" is non-existent…"

A bullet whizzing past his head silenced the blue hedgehog at once.

"Now, where was I?"

_To be continued..._

* * *

**Aaaaaand another chappie done:) A big thank-you to all those who reviewed so far! **

**Please tell me honestly: Were all these details boring or mildly interesting? Would you like it if I included some more background info here and there or concentrated just on the story at hand? I´d really appreciate any feedback! (sounds slightly desperate)**

**Please read and review:)**


	5. Birth

**Chapter 5: Birth**

The sound of running footsteps awoke Maria from where she had been sleeping in her room. She opened the metal sliding door to find the colony in a state of considerable agitation, scientists rushing up and down the corridor, shouting at each other.

"Maria! There you are!"

She turned around to see a young boy hurrying towards her. He wore grey pants and a navy blue jacket with which he evidently hoped to look like a GUN soldier, but even the duck tape sergeant's stripes weren't quite doing the trick.

X--X

"Oh, come on. Nobody likes OCs."

Shadow scowled at this breaking of the fourth wall. "He is _not_ an original character. He appeared in my game, after all."

"Your game sucked. Nobody played it."

"One more word and I will use Chaos Slash to turn this story into Sonuckles."

X--X

His hair had an unusual color, almost grey even at his young age, making him seem even weirder. But his most distinguishing feature were definitely his eyes, one blue and one brown, a trait he had inherited from his father, who was also stationed aboard the AR,; a high-ranking GUN official. The military had been funding the research station, but why, Maria had no idea, since her grandfather wasn't even developing something you could use in a war.

Even though the boy had a definite crush on her, she simply couldn't bring herself to like him. He was constantly talking about wars, violence, and weapons with an enthusiasm she did not share in the least. Still, even when she had yelled at him in a rare outburst to "get the hell out of my life, or you'll see the moon up close" it would not stop him from seeking her attention and company whenever possible.

"Vincent, what is going on?!"

The boy stopped, panting. "It's…your grandfather, he…he says that he might have finally done it and…it could be the completion of the project!"

Maria was out of her room in an instant, dashing towards the private laboratory as fast as her weak muscles would allow it. She could hear Vincent behind her, trying to catch up, but didn't pause until she saw the crowd that had assembled in front of the entrance to the lab.

"Let us in! This is entirely new scientific territory, we need to be present!"

"It could even be dangerous for you alone, remember the last creation?"

"There's not even anything on telly we could watch!"

"No," this was the voice of her grandfather sounding over the constant babble. "Gentlemen, I need to concentrate. Furthermore, the experiment might be unstable, so even the presence of too many spectators might disturb or contaminate it."

Unnoticed by the other scientists who were still arguing with the professor, the children slipped quietly in at the side. Finally, Gerald managed to convince his colleagues that yes, he really needed to be alone for this experiment but would of course show them everything afterwards on surveillance tape and if they could let him close the doors now he would be ever so grateful.

Seeing two kids pressing their noses flat against the glass of the tube did not help him relax very much.

"You! What are you two doing here?!"

"How did you make his quills turn up?" that was Maria who was now studying the unmoving hedgehog with a frown.

"I used bact-- _you shouldn't even be in here_!"

"I know, but with all those people out there you have to keep the doors shut, so you won't be able to throw us out."

Gerald looked at the smug grin on his grandchild's face and wondered whether an intelligent offspring was always such a good thing. Take the family's black sheep Ivo for instance…he shook his head, trying to think of something else. This was no time to be anything but concentrated on the task at hand.

Vincent, meanwhile, was eyeing the experiment with disgust. "Yuck! You can't seriously tell me you want to bring _that_ to life!"

"Oh shut up, Vincent," Maria silenced him, with the exact words Gerald had been thinking at the same time.

Trembling in excitement, he hitched up the Emerald and Drives with the tube. When he had discovered the mutated hedgehog this morning, his chaos detector had been ticking like a disturbed cuckoo clock, indicating that the bacteria must have altered the cell structure quite effectively, rendering the experiment much more compatible to any kind of chaos power.

If the hedgehog was able to survive the contact with the fake emerald, he might be mere steps from immortality.

Shooing the children away from the glass vessel, he took one last step towards the control panel and initiated the energy transfer.

OoO

"Did he also initiate a complete short-circuit aboard the ARK?"

"Dammit!"

Sonic had to admit it, the story was taking its time but he felt like he actually enjoyed it-- He hadn't been enjoying anything for _months…_

OoO

Maria and the boy crouched fearfully behind a desk as the animal inside the liquid started writhing and squirming, the wires connected to its body glowing with the energy.

OoO

"You should copyright that story to the author of Frankenstein, if you ask me."

"One more word, hedgehog…"

OoO

The monitors were going haywire, giving wild squiggles and crazy curves as read-outs, or just showing static from overload. Still, everything seemed to be going according to plan since her grandfather simply stood there, hands clasped together in front of his body, an expression on his face as if he'd just seen paradise.

The mouth of the experiment now opened and a few bubbles emerged while the hedgehog still continued its manic spasms. The professor, now assured that the lungs were fully working and finally able to breathe oxygen, grasped a lever with sweaty hands and pulled it. Immediately, the liquid started to drain and the tube started to lower, until it was in a horizontal position.

The emerald meanwhile had died down again, but through a haze of adrenaline and happiness, the scientist could see that on all the surveillance equipment, the vital signs had now stabilized. The glass tube front rose soundlessly into the air, revealing the experiment lying in front of them, ribs beneath the wet fur slowly rising and sinking.

The Ultimate Lifeform. He had succeeded.

"Look, it has grown white fluff on his chest! That is SO CUTE!"

"Maria! Don't touch it!"

She looked at him, and he could see the same excitement in her eyes as in his. In a slightly warmer tone of voice, he added, "It could be dangerous for you. You can watch, but be careful!" Just as he said that, the hedgehog opened its eyes. Their stare seemed dazed, but then focused more firmly on the professor. Gerald found he could not move; his entire body was transfixed by the creature. The experiment struggled briefly with the wires it was still connected to, looked once more at the human and then decided to vomit the green liquid still inside its stomach, mouth and lungs all over the surrounding area. Finally it collapsed and its entire body was now shuddering, trying to curl up.

"He's cold! Grandpa, we need to get him a blanket and some hot chocolate!"

If it hadn't been for her, the professor probably would have continued staring for another half an hour. Only her insistent tugging at his sleeve finally brought him back to reality.

"Sure, sure, chocolate and blanket, yes, right…what?!"

"Well, he's freezing…"

"Oh, he's a _he_ now, is he?" Gerald had already switched on the incubator which he had been preparing for the occasion.

"Um, it's just, when he woke up, he looked so…just like a baby, a real baby!"

(Of course, while it had actually been exactly like this, Shadow had to tell Sonic a slightly revised version here. It contained considerably more dignity on his part and less "CUTE chest fluff!" in general.)

The professor thought that might be an overstatement since the hedgehog in question had well surpassed infancy, and was with one foot and a half as big as an ordinary hedgehog child, but…as soon as he had donned his gloves and hoisted the creature out of the tube, he was surprised to find it (he still had trouble with "him") cuddling into his arms, seeking the warmth his body was generating. He hurried to put the hedgehog in the incubator chamber which had now warmed up sufficiently. Maria was crooning over the form now lying curled up on the cushions and even Gerald had to admit that he had hardly ever seen her so happy.

"Come on, 'he' needs to sleep now, all right? You can visit him tomorrow; I think the rest of the day I'll have my colleagues gauging here, so there'd be no room for you anyway.

Now run along, okay?" He gently pushed her towards the door and motioned for Vincent, who had been watching the whole scenario with a mixture of disgust and horrible fascination, to follow.

The boy quickly took Maria's hand and pulled her through the crowd of scientists now preparing to storm the laboratory, obviously glad to be out of the near vicinity of the experiment. He did not know what, but something about that hedgehog disturbed him deeply. It did not look too different from the normal intelligent hedgehogs down on earth, but something about it seemed almost…alien? He tried to talk to Maria about it, but gave it up as a lost cause, since the girl evidently was more interested in drawing pictures of the black hedgehog than actually listening to him.

OoO

"Say…that annoying kid, this Vincent, do I know him? He seems familiar, somehow…"

"Probably not him, but his father. Up until now he has tried to kill me several times."

* * *

aaaaand the fifth chappie is here:) Well, with shadow up and running, we´ll be picking up some speed, I hope. Are there any questions about his time aboard the ARK that you would like to have answered? I have only planned the storyline in general, so there are things that I could still include, if you want to read them here. Just tell me:)

Oh yeah, those X--X markers mean that this is not actually part of the story, just some random side gag I shoved in there, Shadow and Sonic will have their usual personalities and will probably poke fun at my entire fic. Hope it doesn´t confuse too much.

Thanks for reading and please review!


	6. Project: Shadow

**Chapter 6: Project: _Shadow_**

When the last of his colleagues had left, Gerald closed the door with a sigh and leaned heavily against it. As brilliant as some of them might be, a few of the scientists actually scared him. Their plans for his experiment ranged from creating an imaginary "perfect race" (which reminded him just a bit too much of the plans of a very real human dictator who had tried something like that not too long ago) to using the hedgehog as a sort of trained monkey to perform repairs on the outer hull of the space station. But even while his creature was actually meant to be able to survive in space, Gerald had never intended him to be used in any other way than to be a cure for mankind.

Switching off the last of the machines, he crossed over to the incubator to check on the still sleeping hedgehog for one final time before leaving the lab. He lay stretched out on his belly, a slight smile on his lips, as if he was pretty content with his new life so far.

The professor found himself involuntarily smiling back. Before he could stop himself, his hand had found its way down and was stroking the still soft quills carefully.

OoO

"Stop it! This is getting soppy!"

Shadow blushed a bit (and thanked any deities that his black fur hid it) as he hadn´t realized that he had actually been telling this particular part of the story aloud.

"So what? If you don´t like the story, get the hell out of here and give me that promised race!"

Sonic hastily looked away. "No, no it´s okay. Continue. Just…not so much of that mushy stuff, alright?"

Shadow huffed a bit, leaning back again, but still wary. He had a feeling that there might be more to Sonic´s reaction. The other´s eyes now had a slightly hurt look, even if the blue hedgehog was concealing it well. Was there something in the story that had let some old memories resurface? Shadow shrugged. He could only guess and just continuing seemed like the safest bet right now.

With a frightening speed, a black hand suddenly closed around the professor´s moustache. He flinched and tried to pull back instinctively, but relaxed as he saw that the creature was still sound asleep. Such reflexes and most of all such _speed_…

Gerald smiled inwardly. This seemed so promising…

He discovered soon afterwards that apart from being quick, the experiment also had some stunning strength, which was why it took him a considerable amount of time to persuade the little hand to please release its hairy prey.

It seemed that hedgehog´s hunting instincts were nothing to be underestimated indeed…

XXX

The next few days passed in a blur. In tests, the experiment proved to be incredibly intelligent and showed the progress a normal human child would make – besides the fact that he obviously liked doing things the fast way and compressed months of development into mere days. Soon he was able to sit up and look around curiously, which he frequently did. Sometimes he even proved to be smarter than the scientists conducting the tests on him – the cry "It has stolen my gloves _again_!" became a regular occurrence in the lab, as the hedgehog seemed to have developed a definite affinity towards the white hand clothing. In the end, Gerald allowed him to have his own pair which he wore permanently from that day on.

In fact, the scientist was slightly worried that he might be developing too much affection for the hedgehog, even bordering on _– no, don´t think that way, no,no,no -_ parental feelings (he shuddered).

He burdened his mind with what would happen if he actually considered the hedgehog a pet, or worse, a person, a _son_, even.

X--X

"Well, that would be gross, you being Eggman´s uncle and all..."

"Sonic, you´re actually supposed to be _emo_ in this story and _horribly wounded_ by Robotnik. So quit. Interrupting. THE GODDAMN DRAMA!"

"Fine. Next chapter, I´ll be cutting myself instead."

Shadow sighed. "And people are telling me _I_ have problems with overreacting..."

X--X

How would he be able to continue the experiments? wondered Gerald. Some of them would be truly dangerous for his creature, life-threatening even…no, it was simply impossible for him to feel anything for the cute little…for the _experiment._ Yes.

Sadly, Maria wasn´t helping one bit.

XXX

"No!"

"But he needs a _name!_"

"I told you, he already _has_ one: Project: Ultimate Lifeform, Series 2, Version 23! 'UL 2/23' for short! What´s wrong with that?"

"Grandpa, you´re being silly!"

Maria scowled, trying to say something even more drastic. Finally she settled for adding a devastating "Deliberately!" and proceeded to fix the professor with something she fondly imagined to be a stern look. After a fashion, it worked, since she looked so cute that Gerald immediately turned to wax in her hands.

Unfortunately for him, "UL 2/23" chose that exact moment to fling one of his toy balls at his exposed bald head. The hedgehog also grinned in unconcealed enjoyment when the projectile hit its target.

"Cutie! There you are!"

The professor was still rubbing the bruise tenderly (talk about _strength!_) when his granddaughter had already raced over to the experiment´s holding bay, a glass cage, the walls of which he had been busily climbing. Still laughing, she lifted the black hedgehog out of his pen, ruffling his white chest fur and proceeded to throw him up in the air, catching him again securely. Gerald had to smile when he saw them playing.

For Maria, NIDS meant that even being touched by someone else could be dangerous, since bacteria and viruses were often transferred by skin contact. This had resulted in his granddaughter generally having only sparse physical contact with others or everyone else touching her with gloves only.

Gerald had worried a lot how that might affect her. Therefore, when he had discovered that apparently no harmful organisms of any kind were able to survive on his creature, it had sent him on a high for the rest of the day.

OoO

"Wait a minute…does that mean that you are able to kill any germs just by touching them?"

"Well, they can´t survive on my fur, so…yes."

"Awesome! Can you come by once a week and go for my kitchen sink? And maybe the bathroom, too…"

"Thin ice, Sonic. Thin ice."

OoO

The project was far from being complete yet, but already the hedgehog was doing his granddaughter a world of good, since she finally had - something? Someone? - to play with that could not harm her.

Finally, Maria set the experiment down and crossed over to him. Both watched the hedgehog moving around clumsily, occasionally trying to stand up but usually landing on his face again. Nevertheless, one could see that obviously a lot of determination was put into the efforts.

"So, what name should he have?"

The professor threw his hands in the air, knowing that he had already lost the unequal struggle. When it was reason against a girl, the latter usually won.

"_I_ don´t know! You seem to have taken such a liking to him, so why don´t _you_ think of one?"

His granddaughter creased her forehead in a frown. "Hmm…"

"Yes?"

Suddenly, her face lit up. "I got it!" She turned towards him. "We´ll name him Starbreeze!"

OoO

In the present, Shadow was busily patting a choking Sonic´s back, just a little harder than necessary.

"Star-…she really said _Star-_…" the blue hedgehog had another fit.

OoO

Gerald sent a silent prayer to anyone who might be listening. He could already see himself handing in _this_ one at the patent office….

"How about another one?" he asked weakly, but without much hope.

"What is wrong with it? Of course, we could also name him Sugarsnout, or Goldquill, or…"

ooo

Shadow raised an eyebrow.

"I seem to recall that Amy sometimes calls you 'my speedy Blueberry Muffin'?"

A hysterical Sonic now at least stopped giggling.

ooo

The old man bent down until both of them were at eye level and smiled. "Well, Maria…how about one that is a _little _more suitable for me to use in front of all those _other_ world-reknowned scientists here?"

Maria´s eyes widened in sudden understanding. "Oh, right…I hadn´t thought about that…well…"

"How about _Ugly_?" a miserable voice from the corner interjected. Both of them turned towards the boy who had been sulking until recently. Vincent had followed Maria into the laboratory, but upon seeing the experiment, had preferred to stay away and look out the window.

"Stop being so mean! He hasn´t done anything to you!"

"Or what about "Nag"? Or Pain-in-the-…"

"That´s enough!" The scientist quickly strode over to the sullen boy and gripped him firmly by the shoulder. "I won´t stand for such language, young man! If you continue in this manner, I will not have you in my lab again!"

"Oh, I get it!" Vincent shoved Gerald´s hand away and ran to the door. Stopping in the frame, he shouted: "I´ll tell my father about this and he´ll cut your research money! You can´t throw me out just because of some lousy mutant hedgehog!"

He only stopped short of banging the door since that is a little bit hard to do with the sliding ones.

The professor sighed. He knew it was hard on the boy to be up here alone without any other children besides Maria, but that still was no excuse for such insolent behaviour.

His granddaughter seemed to be less understanding. "I hope he stumbles into an airlock or something. What a jerk."

Suddenly, her voice grew a little bit more concerned. "Can he really do that? Cut your research money?"

Gerald shook his head. "Not his father, no. But his superiors, GUN command, who are financing this entire space station – no idea why in the first place - could. But don´t worry, I´m sure he´ll calm down and nobody will be cutting any budgets."

Maria nodded, even if still not utterly convinced. "I hope. Hey, where´s he gone?"

Both of them looked around, but the hedgehog was nowhere to be seen.

"He must have hidden because of the shouting," Gerald mused, "so let´s try find him before he hurts himself." _Or tries to eat any of my equipment,_ he thought.

A quick sweep of the lab resulted in several (stolen) gloves and strangely one solitary sock being found, but otherwise brought nothing new. The scientist scratched his head. "How on earth…?"

"Hey, there he is!"

His head snapped around as Maria rushed past him, dropped down on her knees and extracted something from the darkness underneath the writing desk.

"Look!"

Smiling, she held up a somewhat bedraggled and dusty, but otherwise unharmed hedgehog.

"Indeed. But how could we miss him?"

"Because he´s so dark! Just like a little shadow himself, isn´t he?"

As soon as she had spoken these words, she lowered the experiment and stared at her grandfather who had also looked up. Both of them contemplated quietly for a moment until Maria broke the silence.

"Well…it doesn´t sound too bad, does it? Shadow, I mean."

Gerald stroked his moustache and found himself warming up to the idea. "Not at all. What do you think?"

"It´s cool! Sounds a little bit mysterious and romantic..."

"Project: _Shadow_. I think even the military will like it. After all, with all their "Eagle has landed" and "Black hawk down" nonsense…"

"Yes!" Maria knelt down in front of the newly christened experiment once more. "You´re called Shadow now! Do you like it?"

Gerald smiled. A good name. After all, who could say what lay hidden in a Shadow?

…_then again, maybe not that much,_ he thought, as Shadow promptly landed on his face again.

* * *

Chapter six up and the longest one so far :) Suggestions have been taken into account and are still accepted! Thanks for giving me your opinions, please read and review!

XXX means just a scene change in the past story...


	7. Unwelcome Visitors

**Chapter 7: Unwelcome Visitors **

Professor Gerald was content.

The first week of the life of his creature had passed and Shadow didn´t show any signs of dying any time soon. At least, not the if professor had any say in the crazed experiments his collegues were planning with that hedgehog. ("Let´s see if it´s as flammable as normal hedgehogs!")

Really, now. Sometimes he wondered whether some of them might not still be children at heart.

Particularily the kind that drops cats from high buildings to check whether they really land on their feet.

He would have to talk to GUN about that, sooner or later. Surely it wasn´t in their interest to perform any such dangerous tests?

Shadow, meanwhile, was developing nicely. He had already shown considerable strength and speed in his reflexes and when it came to aiming anything at something, several toy-shaped bruises on scientists´ bodies showed that he was also able to do that. (Sometimes late at night, Gerald even wondered whether Shadow could actually handle a gun equally well, but dimissed the thought as utterly ridiculous.) The only thing that was worrying the professor was the hedgehog´s clumsiness when it came to standing up, or worse, walking. Still, that could wait. For now, everything seemed perfect.

He was just about to shut down his laptop and go to bed, when he noticed something odd. A little flashing light at the side indicated an incoming signal, although he could neither recognize the origin nor its wavelength. What the…?

Suddenly, he felt as if he was no longer alone. Nervously he looked around the dark room but couldn´t detect any signs of movement. His gaze darted back to the laptop screen which now showed a considerable increase in signal strength. He was just about to call one of the technicians to come and have a look at it, when a voice interrupted any train of thought.

"Professor."

He spun round, trying to find the speaker, but still he was alone. The strange voice continued to echo through the lab, sounding artificial and somehow distorted.

"Wh-what? Who´s there?"

"Do not be afraid. I will now project a hologram."

The scientist had to clasp both hands in front of his mouth to keep himself from screaming and even then he nearly choked.

Seemingly out of nowhere, a mass of bright, swirling lines appeared and started to rearrange itself, until a shape slowly began to take form…

Gerald gasped.

Before him, semi-transparent, floated a…a _creature_ that he himself would have found more likely for a science-fiction film. A pretty expensive one, at that.

It seemed to have two arms and a head, but any other similarity to a human stopped short there and hid somewhere far away.

Most humans have only two eyes, for instance.

It was _massive_, its black head sprouting two elongated horns horizontally to either side of it and several spikes on top. Its body was covered by a sort of priest´s robe, all gone horribly wrong. It hung loosely where the legs should have been and had some sort of dark stains which the professor did not dare think about. Various metal insignia hung around the neck, symbolizing a sun with sharp edges and comets blazing with fire. There were only three fingers on each hand ending in claws rather than nails. Its skin looked like dry, black leather or semi-melted tar, alternatively sporting wrinkles or oozing in various places.

The worst, however, was its face.

Three eyes with red and yellow snake-like pupils stared at Gerald who immediately shrank back. Below, where the nose and mouth should have been, was…the human averted his eyes, but it was too late. A…sucking hole, a gaping blackness was all that was there, the lines in the skin all pointing towards it.

If Gerald hadn´t been so terrified he might have thought it looked rather as if the alien had just swallowed a lemon. Whole.

It looked like an awful mistake of creation, a leech crossed with a velociraptor and an assortment of tacky jewellery thrown right in. He could not bear to look.

"We meet at last. I feared our comet might not come close enough to your space vessel again."

This was it. The first time a human had ever encountered an alien race.

Gerald cursed all deities he could think of that it had to be _him_.

"What do you want from me?" The scientist could barely discern his own words, a hoarse whisper was all he could manage, but apparently the alien heard him well.

"Not much more than you have already done. The completion of _Biolizard._"

The professor´s thoughts were racing like rats trapped in a cage with a particularily angry rottweiler. Before he could stop himself, he blurted out: "What?! But it is a failure! It can barely survive without life support!"

The creature´s eyes seemed to flash bright red for a second (_Surprise?_, Gerald thought) and it immediately raised it´s voice.

"_Impossible! _With the serum I gave you, you should have been able to create the Ultimate Lifeform!"

Pieces of a puzzle clicked into place. With a shaky hand, Gerald reached into the pocket of his labcoat and pulled out the phial that had contained the black bacteria. He didn´t dare leave it lying around and had still been trying to find out where it had originally come from. "You…you mean, this is…?"

"Yes. I sent it to you, let it materialize in your laboratory, ready to be used in your experiments."

"But what…?" the scientist was almost dazed by this amount of information, by the sheer impropability of it all but still couldn´t help himself. Here was the chance to find out where the strange bacteria had come from! He still wasn´t sure whether this wasn´t all a dream…

"It was a small amount of my…bodily fluids, you may call it _blood_. It contained the power of Chaos, which is why I chose to help you in your project."

ooo

"Stop. Full stop here." Sonic had squeezed his eyes tightly shut and had his arms outstretched, palms facing Shadow as if he was trying to ward of an evil demon.

"Something the matter?"

"You bet! This thing turned from medical soap opera to a family movie and _now_ it´s trying to be a sci-fi flick with horror intervalls!"

"Yes, you might say I lead a pretty complicated life."

ooo

"To...help me in my project?" Gerald repeated weakly.

"Indeed. Our race is in need of seven gemstones which reside on earth, but were once part of out planet, hence the power to control them still resides in our race. They are probably known to you as the Chaos Emeralds. Do you comprehend what I am talking about?"

The professor nodded. The emeralds had been his and his father´s object of study for several years, in the latter case for decades. A long time ago he himself had actually owned one for some time and had been able to produce a copy of it. The power it contained was by no means comparable to that of a real one but otherwise it was a perfect facsimile which he still used. He had also perfected the Chaos Drives, small glass tubes filled with a gas that could transfer the energy of a splinter of artificial Chaos Crystal also wedged inside. It was now the main energy source of most of the GUN robots. Besides that, he was sure there were many other powers still hidden in the emeralds, waiting to be unlocked.

"So far we have been unable to reach your planet. With the gemstones, we would finally be able to make contact. Your project we heard of – the Ultimate Lifeform – was supposed to bring them to us. Why do you say it is a failure?!"

"I..I didn´t give your serum to the Biolizard." When the alien merely stared at him, he continued. "I gave it to a hedgehog. He is alive and well." _And looks a bit like you_, Gerald thought. _At least the red-striped, up-turned quills._

"Very good. You must prepare him for his purpose. He must collect the emeralds before my race returns."

"Impossible!" the human´s eyes had widened in shock. "He is no fighter! He would die in the process!" _And who are you anyway to tell me of _my_ project´s purpose?_, he added mentally.

The alien gave an odd, fluid equivalent of a shrug. "You must train him."

Gerald struggled to regain some remnants of his composure. "I´m…I´m sorry, but I don´t think…"

Before he could half-way finish his sentence, an odd, tentacle-like…_thing_ erupted from beneath the alien´s robe and wrapped itself around his neck, pinning him against the wall and tightening its hold until he could barely breathe any more. Cold sweat started running down his back and he stared in the awful face of his attacker. How could a mere hologramm suddenly become so physical?

"Don´t _think_, human. Fulfill your part of the contract. We had a _deal._"

Gerald struggled to prise the tentacle cutting off his air away from him but found he was helpless.

He tried to think of anything to say but already his vision was flickering at the edges, the lack of oxygen slowly starting to prevent his brain from working.

_To be continued..._

* * *

First. Cliffie. Ever. wheee:)

...although I have been informed it´s not really a cliffhanger since everybody knows what´s gonna happen anyway. In this case:

First pseudo-cliffie ever! wheeee:)

Well, not much Shadow in here, I apologize, but my first attempt at getting the plot moving. Also, the next update will probably come sooner to make up for the lack of hedgehogs in this chappie.

Please read and review! I don´t care whether you criticize or praise (as long as it´s constructive) and of course you can still ask for scenes or anything else to be included in the story! (except for OCs, sorry :( ) anything else really makes my day:)


	8. Conflict of Conscience

**Chapter 8: Conflict of Conscience**

"Can´t...remember...any deal..." this was it. If the alien didn´t loosen its hold right about _now…_

As if the creature had read his thoughts, the tentacle dropped down. When the alien spoke again, the strange, distorted voice had not changed, as if what had just happened was merely the extraterrestrial equivalent of "You really have _such_ nice curtains".

"You may not remember, but it was you who sealed our contract when you used my blood - my _genes_, to be exact – to bring your experiment to life."

"But…but I didn´t _know_…" Gerald had to keep one hand against the wall to steady himself. His inner thoughts were in turmoil. Where were those _damn_ security guards when you needed them?! Wasn´t every single squaremetre of the space colony watched by several surveillance cameras? And what did the creature want with the emeralds anyway? He could only guess, but was sure it wouldn´t be something anyone on earth would be particularly happy about. What if he was actually endangering humanity now? What if he was endangering Maria?

"That is a problem of yours. The promise will be fulfilled."

"What if I refuse?" His voice trembled and sounded incredibly weak, even to him, but the thought of Maria had filled him with a courage he hadn´t known he possessed.

"The project will die."

Gerald swallowed. Was this insane creature actually planning to attack the colony if he didn´t cooperate?

"The…hedgehog is connected to me through the bacteria still living in his body. They should have enabled him to track and find the emeralds, but that also means that I can end his existence any time I wish."

ooo

It had been continually getting darker in the room with the sun finally settling behind the horizon and nobody bothering to switch on the light. Sonic was not one who got scared easily (in fact he was the kind of person who enjoyed _preventing_ anyone from sleeping soundly on a camping night by telling some of his all-time favorite M-rated ghost stories) but even he was now feeling slightly uncomfortable. He was not at all sure whether Shadow was now making things up or still telling the truth. A truth too awful to bear.

"Uhm…Shads…"

The black hedgehog looked up, his face unreadable in the twilight.

"Is this…was this actually what…?" Sonic swallowed. His throat suddenly seemed dry and his tongue was refusing to work.

The lips of the other twitched slightly, as if he had just smiled a little.

"You want to know whether what I´m telling you has actually happened."

Sonic could only nod.

Shadow took a deep breath. "It has."

Before the blue hedgehog was able to reply, he added: "You wonder why nobody has ever heard of _that_ part of my creation before. Well, I´ll have to ask you not to tell to anyone else either. You´ll have to hear the rest of the story before you make up your mind. Just a little something before I continue:"  
He paused and and stared at the ceiling as if recalling something. "You remember that fight we had once? We didn´t know each other very well back then. I think it was in the jungle somewhere. We spindashed and sliced each other wide open."

Sonic grimaced. Yes, he remembered that fight. It had been a misunderstanding, GUN had been chasing Shadow and mistaken Sonic for the black hedgehog. This, in turn, led to yours truly being quite loaded when he met up with what he perceived as an impersonator trying to get him in trouble.

Shadow looked at the tips of his gloved fingers. He twisted his hand and a glint of light flitted across his golden bracelet.

"I maybe should have told you earlier. Back then, the blood from our wounds mixed, and these bacteria are currently flowing through your veins as well as through mine."

_Now _that_ should take his mind off Tails for a while, _Shadow thought as Sonic turned sky blue.

ooo

"You…would kill him? But he is mankind´s only hope for a cure for NIDS!" Gerald was sweating now, still staring at the seemingly impassive face of the alien.

"Mankind is not my concern. We were not able to…produce a creature other than us. Nevertheless it is our wish to make contact with your planet and when we learned that you were able to…customize creatures it seemed ideal to cooperate."

_Some way to "cooperate"_, Gerald thought, but said nothing. His throat was still sore and he didn´t want to provoke another attack.

"It is perfect for both of us. With my help, your creature was endowed with chaos powers without which it could not have survived and you can use it as you wish – but in return it will collect the chaos emeralds for me when the comet our race inhabits passes by your planet again." All this was said without any discernible emotion, yet the professor could feel the underlying threat. Helplessly, he nodded.

"Very well. We won´t see each other for some time as the course of the comet is currently leading away from your home. I leave the training of the creature to you. Do not dare to deceive us."

Gerald thought that there was a note of finality in that statement. Hurriedly, he stammered:

"Before you leave, I- I would like to know the name of my partner," almost gagging on the last word.

"You shall. The closest translation of my name in your language would be, I believe…_Black Doom._"

ooo

"You´re not listening." Shadow observed, sounding more than a little miffed as he watched Sonic pacing up and down in front of the table so fast that he had already singed the rug.

"Well, I´m _sorry_!" the blue hedgehog yelled, turning towards him and throwing both hands in the air, "but I´m not like Mr. Alienspawn on my couch here, and news of my dying any time soon _does_ shake me a little, I can´t help it!"His fists were clenched and he looked at Shadow, seeming genuinely spooked.

"Well, in order to calm you down a little, I can tell you that you are not in any immediate danger. Okay?"

"Oh great, are you trying to tell me that the leech guy is going to drop a letter on my front porch first?!" Sonic´s voice trembled, and Shadow was worried that the blue hedgehog might become hysterical any second now.

Well, _more _hysterical anyway.

"The bacteria can´t kill you. You feeling better now?"

The shaken hero studied Shadow´s eyes as if trying to find out whether this was the truth or just a way to placate him. "Really? How come?"

Shadow grinned and one of his incisors glinted in the same ray of light that had caught earlier on his wristband. "That´s for me to know and for you to find out. Ready to listen to my story again?"

"That´s blackmail!" Sonic was fuming but nevertheless sat down on the couch again, half-wishing that later there would hopefully be some pain for the black hedgehog in his tale.

ooo

Without a sound, the hologramm vanished as suddenly as it had appeared and Gerald was left alone in the deserted laboratory, his knees feeling as if they´d let him down every second now.

When his breathing had steadied again, however, his mind seemed to resume working as well.

As impossible as the whole episode might seem, Gerald knew that it had been far from being unreal and that his life had just got SO much more complicated. Mental gears started slotting into place as brain cells worth 300 IQ points began to fizz with energy.  
The alien obviously was not able to read minds, otherwise it would have known that his nodding had not been sincere.

GUN must not know of this contact either. His government had very defintie views on their country´s role as Supreme Power Absolutely Everywhere and if they found out he had made a deal with a possibly dangerous alien race – voluntarily or not – they were likely to charge him with High Treason. No, he had to find another way of handling this.

Eventually, he chose the simplest course: If the hedgehog never learned to fight or use his Chaos powers, he could simply tell the alien that the training must have failed, no idea why, terribly sorry for you to have come all this way for nothing.

If he had found a cure by the time that comet returned, even the monster´s threat to kill the experiment wouldn´t matter anymore once the hedgehog had fulfilled his purpose.

And if he just tried to keep telling himself this, maybe the images in his mind of Shadow curling against his chest seeking protection and warmth would stop appearing too.

Gerald did not look at the sleeping black form as he finally left the room.

ooo

"What?!" Sonic had reverted to his normal colour and was now staring at Shadow wide-eyed, all thoughts of deadly bacteria driven out of his mind. "He just planned to actually _sacrifice_ you?"

Shadow looked at him. "Well, he was a scientist and I was his creation. That´s the way things work, isn´t it?"

The blue hedgehog´s eyes (now equalling the size of soup plates) widened even more at the other´s matter-of-fact tone. How could anybody talk about his own life being thrown away so casually? Then another thought hit him. Since Tails had died, he had been thinking about throwing his own life away, too. In a way he had been doing that already, wasting day after day doing nothing, while his friends were more than concerned...

He sighed. If he was getting so worked up about Shadow´s life being in danger, shouldn´t he also value his own some more? Well, he had when the black hedgehog had told him about the bacteria…

Sonic shook his head. "If that´s really the way you think, Shadow, then you have some serious issues. And now continue before I go completely philosophical in here," he added, tapping his left temple lightly with his index finger.

Shadow raised his eye ridges but didn´t say anything in reply.

_To be continued..._

* * *

**righty-ho, a chapter finished and even uploaded in time:) well. not much past Shadow in there too, but he and maria will have a lot of screen-time in the next chappie. the first of the bad guys has made an appearance and he won´t be the last...hope you found it interesting so far, thx to everyone reviewing! **

**incidentally, whoever came up with the name "Black Doom" should be shot for cheesyness.**

**please read and review:)**


	9. Friendships

**Chapter 9: Friendships**

"No, no, no, Shadow! Like this, look!"  
With just a few light steps, Maria easily managed to cross the balancing bar and hopped down at the other end, smiling encouragingly at the the black hedgehog.

Both of them were at the back of the lab which was currently busily turning into a training area of sorts, sporting various trampolines, monkey bars, treadmills and…

...balancing bars. The latter of which were the bane of Shadow´s life.

Gerald had his back turned to the pair and was typing away on a keyboard, trying to evaluate the results of the latest tissue test of the experiment. A thumping noise (hedgehog hitting floor _again_) made him turn around.

"Awww, are you hurt? Here, let me kiss it away…" Now Maria was kneeling next to the fallen form, cradling him in her arms.

"Maria! Stop it already!"

"What?!" She looked at him, surprise and hurt in her eyes showing at his stern tone. The professor couldn´t help it. Ever since Black Doom had visited him two nights ago, he had been on edge. The scientist couldn´t tell anyone about the whole incident and had to keep it all bottled up inside of him. Oh, he had written it down in his diary which lay encoded somewhere on the main server, but that hadn´t helped much.

Whenever he saw Maria now with the hedgehog, caring for him, playing with him, it reminded the scientist how he sometimes felt himself about the creature and that was something he couldn´t allow himself anymore.

Shadow – he regretted naming him already – was the reason why him and Maria and possibly the entire earth were now in danger.

Worse, if his granddaughter got attached to the experiment too much and he would die later – in tests or otherwise – no, he couldn´t bear the thought of Maria having to lose something she loved so dearly. She just couldn´t develop any feelings for him. It was for her own good.

Right?

"You should get out of here. Now. Go play with Vincent, I´m sure he misses you."

"But I want to play with _Shadow_! He is so much more interesting than that stupid jerk with all his weapons and stuff…"

"Maria, you need to be realistic. My experiment is a hedgehog. You need _human_ company. Shadow simply can´t give you all you need!"

"But…" although her eyes were shimmering with tears now, on her words rode a tone of grim determination. "That´s not true! Shadow is as intelligent as any human, I´m sure of it!"

"Maria, he can´t even walk straight!"

"He will learn! He will, just give him time!

"Time is something we don´t have! He is a goddamned animal, for goodness´ sake!" They were actually yelling at each other by now and Maria was severely shocked. She had never heard her grandfather swear.

"You…but…" cutting herself off in midsentence, she stormed away through the door. Gerald made a move as if to stop her, but then sat down heavily in his chair again. He seemed to be having a horrible track record with children lately…

The professor raised his head a few inches and looked to where Shadow was standing near the training equipment. One white gloved hand was still stretched out as if he could retrieve Maria somehow and his crimson eyes had a confused expression in them. For a moment he looked so human that Gerald almost felt tempted to apologize for his behaviour…

_I´m getting senile._

The scientist turned around briskly and tried to locate the papers for today´s experiments on the hedgehog. He sighed. His desktop was such a mess, even IF the black aliens were to attack, it probably wouldn´t make much difference. Muttering unconciously, he continued his search. "Oh, Shadow, Shadow, Shadow…"

"Maria?"

Gerald´s heart nearly stopped. Slowly, he turned around. Even more slowly, he raised his gaze to scan the room.

No aliens there. The monster hadn´t come back. The voice just now hadn´t sounded like that two-horned contract killer anyway, but then what…?

Finally, his stare stopped on the hedgehog now looking intently at him. Shadow opened his mouth.

"Maria?"

Gerald fainted.

XXX

"Maria?"

When the girl didn´t turn around, Vincent tried again, knocking at the metallic frame and leaning into her room. His friend (although the relationship was rather one-sided, he had to admit) lay curled up on her bed, her back facing towards him. So far she hadn´t spoken, but she wasn´t asleep either.

"Hey, Maria! If you don´t move, I´ll come in and check your pulse!"

"Leave me alone, Vincent." Now her head had turned around, facing him and he noticed with a shock that her cheeks were damp with tears. Abandoning all courtesy, he crossed the threshold and stood beside her bed, looking down at the fragile body.

"Something wrong? Did that crazy mutant eat your shoe or anything? My father will have him shot if he did!"

"No!" She threw herself around and stood hurriedly up, facing away from the boy again. "Your father will do nothing of the sort! It´s just…", she hesitated for a moment, then continued slightly more quietly: "...my grandfather said that I can´t spend so much time with Shadow anymore."

"Oh. Really?" Vincent´s current grin could have been used in a tooth paste commercial, although he took care that Maria couldn´t see it. Maria! She would finally be with him again!

"Well…would you like to go down to the panorama window and look at earth? Or we could go into the computerroom…"

There was not much for children to enjoy themselves aboard the ARK as Vincent soon had discovered. His father, the General and soon-to-be Commander Graves of GUN had taken his son with him on his mission into space after Vincent´s mother had died in one of Doctor Robotnik´s attacks.

He knew his dad was hoping that he would learn to be strong, to become a man and also that the General appreciated the fact that there was not much around for Vincent to play with, or as he put it, "to waste his time". Graves also disliked the chief scientist, Professor Robotnik, since any relatives of the murderer of his wife in his view immediately deserved punishment.

The Professor, on the other hand, wasn´t to fond of Vincent´s father either as the military in his opinion tried to interfere with his research much too often. Needless to say, the atmosphere aboard the space station was usually not too pleasant and most of the inhabitants felt like huge big metal rods on a field while the thunderstorms Robotnik and Graves had the time of their lives egging each other on.

When the two most powerful men aboard the ARK had a disagreement, it was usually the subordinates of the loser who suffered most.  
Luckily, meetings between them were few and far between.

"The computerroom, then." Maria sighed and waited until Vincent had walked over to her so they could continue together. Both of them knew well that each other were the only company they had since most of the adults were busy all day long.

This situation had seemed to have changed with the survival of one of the experiments, of course, but now Vincent was happy that the professor had obviously put a stop to that so Maria was his again. He disliked the scientist for the same reasons as his father did but today that nutjob scientist had obviously got things right for once.

Vincent would have rather taken a space walk without a suit before admitting he was jealous of a _hedgehog_.

"So, where are you surfing?" The girl´s voice yanked him right out of his gloating. They were seated opposite each other and waiting for the computers to boot.

"I think I´ll try to improve my hacking skills. My father told me that half of the wars in the future will be fought in cyberspace and then I want to be ready for it!"

Maria rolled her eyes. Hacking skills. Yeah, right. She thought that Vincent was barely able to tell the difference between the included solitaire game and a computer virus, but said nothing in order not to provoke another fight.

"Are you up to a game of CCS later?" he was now looking at her from behind his screen.

"No, thank you." CCS, or Chaos Counter Strike was a military game consisting of weird translucent blue creatures shooting it out against GUN soldiers.

Guess which side Vincent always wanted to play.

To Maria, though, it was downright creepy. The liquid-like, laser-eyed aliens or whatever in the game reminded her way too much of the creatures her grandfather was also working on, a by-product of the search for the ultimate lifeform. He called them 'Artificial Chaos', a name which for some reason eerily coincided with the game title.

"I think I´ll do some research on the Chaos Emeralds my grandfather was studying before he came up here. You know, two nights ago I had the weirdest dream of something horrible invading the ARK and demanding them. Shadow was there, too, but I was just too frightened to make sense of it all. Now I want to know more about the emeralds at least."

He sighed. "Geez, you are always studying. Oh well. I´ll tell you when I have broken through the firewall of the main server." Vincent replied, sounding bored.

"You do that." As if.

To be continued...

* * *

Another chappie safe and sound. I just have to say that i really wasn´t rambling in the second half, but everything mentioned in there will play a role later:) and wheee, Shads' first word was "Maria"! XD

...well, except for the chaos counter strike part. (but i thought of it as a nice way to introduce the artificial chaos :D)

Chapter ten will feature some cuteness and probably have poor present Sonic and Shadow in there again, these two didn´t get a single word out, this time:)

_Side note: I can´t upload any documents the normal way any more, I just get an error message and support . fanfiction . net is obviously a dead link...please help? _

**Please read and review:)  
**


	10. Reunion and Rejection

**Chapter 10: Reunion and Rejection**

When Gerald gradually came to, he first noticed a sleeping warm something on his belly, its black quills too close to his face for comfort. He groaned.

"Oh Gods…" Suddenly, the memory of the hedgehog opening his mouth came rushing back to him. With a gasp he flew upwards, sending the sleeper on on his stomach tumbling into his lap.

Shadow was wide awake at once and stared into his face.

"Did you…did you really talk?" Gerald asked and felt utterly ridiculous. What was Shadow supposed to say, 'No'?

It turned out, however, that the hedgehog had something entirely different to share with him.

"Ranpa!"

The scientist felt like fainting again.

Or like buying Shadow lollipops. His…his experiment…he had actually called him _grandfather! _ (Or made a very valiant attempt, at least.)

ooo

"Shadow, if this is going to turn into a sort of 'My happiest childhood-memories'- slide-show I´m leaving."

"Don´t worry, Sonic. We genetically engineered alienspawn tend to mature very quickly."

ooo

Tugging a very confused ultimate lifeform under his arm (while minding the razor-sharp quills) Gerald quickly made his way over to one of the tables and set the hedgehog down, even managing to place him there right-side-up on his second attempt.

He took a seat in front of his creature and drew several deep breaths. An intelligence test was now in order.

He felt adrenaline flooding his nervous system as he reached for the electrodes to be attached to Shadow´s skull. What would happen if the test confirmed his suspicions?

Although the hedgehog had been modelled after the anthropomorphic ones on earth who could talk and were easily as clever as humans, the scientist had never even once thought of being able to create intelligent life himself. If his experiment was confirmed to be a sapient creature it would mean the mother of all bad consciences for him when Shadow was hurt or died in a test.

Gerald idly wondered whether his day could get any better (maybe if the black aliens returned prematurely, now wouldn´t that be nice?) or if he might have done an incredibly evil deed during a former life to deserve something like this. With things being as they were, he had probably caused the meteor that wiped out the dinosaurs.

He sighed and linked Shadow up to the computer which immediately presented a 3D-image of the hedgehog´s brain.

ooo

"Probably didn´t need a very big screen, eh?"

"Who tells you that _I _couldn´t activate the lethal bacteria in your veins any time I chose to?"

Sonic gulped. "I thought they couldn´t kill me?"

"I might have lied." Shadow grinned, while in his eyes a spark of playful cheer was mixing again with just that hint of darkness that felt so alien to Sonic.

ooo

The professor flipped the last card. The experiment peeked at it.

"Shao!" Shadow stated (somewhat) clearly and looked at him expectantly.  
The picture in Gerald´s hands did indeed show a chao, and the scientist duly noted which parts of the hedgehog´s brain lit up on the screen as Shadow recognized the image and connected it with the appropriate sound. His experiment had memorized all of the fifty words Gerald had taught him during the last half an hour and had not confused a single one.

Well, then. Time for one last test.

"If you´re so clever, project, then what´s this?" he asked, holding up one final item for inspection. Shadow looked at the rectangle in Gerald´s hands, a puzzled expression on his face.

It was a mean trick and the professor knew it. What he was now showing to the hedgehog was not one of the cardboard pictures, but a piece of well-polished metal and the experiment currently looked into his own wide crimson eyes, staring right back at him from the make-shift mirror.

"Too hard for you?" the scientist asked after several moments had passed in silence. He was almost relieved. Maybe the hedgehog was still just a clever sort of monkey or parrot after all...

And the human believed that, right up until his project snatched the plate away from him, pointed at his own reflection, beamed and announced proudly: "Sha-doh!"

There was no doubt about it. For an exact prognosis it was still too early, but one thing he could say for sure:

Project Shadow was as intelligent as any other human being. With an IQ ranging from 100 to 120 he was even slightly above average.

Gerald put a hand over his eyes. It seemed as if Black Doom had not only granted Shadow just his quills after all…

XXX

"He is what?"

"Intelligent, Maria. I´m quite confident that soon he will be able to converse like everyone else here aboard the ARK."

"Given that half of the time I can´t make head or tail of what you or your colleagues are saying I don´t find that thought very reassuring."

Gerald´s eyes first widened in surprise. Then the scientist gave a short bark of laughter, quickly degenerating into a chuckle. That was his Maria. So childlike and naïve most of the time yet sometimes the sharp intelligence of her Robotnik genes already broke through. Her vocabulary was certainly growing exponentially.

A trait she seemed to share with Shadow, who had been learning incredibly fast since the professor had tested him those two weeks ago…

"Well, then: let´s have a look at Shadow, shall we?"

"Oh yes!" Eyes shining with joy at the thought of seeing her friend again, Maria took his hand and forcibly pulled him through the door.

Unnoticed by the two of them, Vincent still stood where he had been when the professor had entered the room. His hand slowly closed over the test-tube he had been playing around with and crushed the glass, fingers curling into a fist. Shards were driving into his palm now, searing the skin and cutting the blood vessels wide open but the boy didn´t even care as he stared after the pair who had just dumped him again for that freak hedgehog…

XXX

A ladder. Shadow grabbed the first two bars and scaled it without much difficulties, strong muscles in both his arms and legs pushing him quickly upwards until he had reached the top. Grinning, he easily dodged a projectile that came flying towards him as soon as he had stuck his head over the platform the ladder was fixed to. He landed on top of it with lithe grace.

Another projectile. Somersault. Now for the end of the parcour, it was just running over the platform, barely a hundred metres across.

No problem, right?

Shadow started jogging, had nearly settled into a rhythm when suddenly…

"Oh no, Shadow, not _again!_" Gerald cried out in frustration as the hedgehog, like always, tripped and landed on his knees, tumbling over and over, finally coming to a halt when he bumped into a wall.

Maria, though, was amazed. During the month that she hadn´t seen Shadow, he had made incredible progress. He was able to pick himself up without problems and now stood upright without falling over again. That was new.

Unfortunately, the professor looked less than pleased. His arms were crossed and his moustache quivered disapprovingly as Shadow trotted the rest of the training parcours towards him, not daring to meet the eyes of the human.

"What _is_ it, Shadow?! Why are you unable to run properly when everything else you seem to do so well? You drive me up the wall!"

"Grandpa! Stop yelling at him! He was really good!" Maria scolded the old man, before putting on a beaming smile and rushing towards the dejected hedgehog. "Hey Shadow, it´s me! Maria! Do you remember me?"

X--X

Sonic rolled his eyes. "Why do I get the feeling that that is the one question you would never answer with 'No'?"

X--X

The Ultimate Lifeform hesitatingly raised his head. His ruby eyes widened in sudden recognition, then slowly his lips spread into a smile. "Hi…Maria."

* * *

**There! I hope you liked it and thought it was cute, at least a little. The jumping between scenes is not confusing, is it?**

**Also, regarding the question of how Gerald and Ivo Robtonik can be around at the same time, rest assured: there is a very logical explanation behind this and it doesn´t even involve time machines. Will be revealed later when I can fit it in:) **

**Please read and review:) **


	11. Midnight Adventures

**Chapter 11: Midnight Adventures, Part I **

Through the eternal night aboard the ARK two figures were rushing, their steps clattering against the metal floorboard, silhouettes sharply outlined against the white starlight filtering in throught the window. A casual observer might even have thought of them as ghosts, haunting the deserted corridors of the space station when everyone else had gone to sleep...

Except ghosts don´t giggle, of course.

"Mmmf", managed Maria, her shoulders trembling with suppressed laughter as she finally let go of Shadow´s hand and stopped. For the last – rather hectic- 200 metres the girl had been trailing the hedgehog behind, ocassionally having to yank him back into balance when her friend had been in danger of stumbling again.

"Wheew, that was a close one, wasn´t it?"

"You bet." Shadow grinned, running one gloved hand through his quills. He wasn´t nearly as out of breath as the blonde girl but still enjoyed the pause.

They spent mostly every night now exploring the colony, or just playing or talking in Maria´s room. Earlier the girl had visited Shadow only during the day but they soon found out that other people also had an interest in the hedgehog, taking him away for yet another test of reflexes or scanning. During the night, however, they were all alone...

X--X

"That sounds…suggestive."

"May I remind you that this is K-rated?"

X--X

Maria had taken to sleeping during the days for the last few months (Gerald believed she might be having a growing phase and didn´t worry) while Shadow…the hedgehog seemed to be burning with an inner energy, never tired out no matter how few hours of rest he got.

The scientists didn´t know about this of course and Maria didn´t plan on telling them. So far, the experiments had never been painful or stressing for her friend and she didn´t much like the thought of them pushing him to his limits just to see how far he could actually go.

That was also why they usually kept their nocturnal expeditions a secret. Their strategy worked out fine; Shadow was nearly undetectable with his black fur, so he could peek around corners in advance. His soft, bare feet made no sound whatsoever when he moved slowly and his sharp hearing warned them if any other humans were close by. If they ever happened to nearly run into somebody despite all that, Maria would just grab his hand and take off at her top speed.

Just now had been such a situation.

Vincent´s father, General Graves, kept such _odd_ hours! Didn´t he ever sleep? A few corridors away from where he had suddenly stepped out of his office they seemed to be safe, though.

"Ready to continue?"

"Sure…" Shadow hesitated. "But I don´t know this part of the colony at all."

"Well, neither do I." His friend winked at him "But hey, that´s what makes it fun. Let´s pretend we´re 'Raiders of the lost ARK', okay?"

The hedgehog, on whom any references to earth movies were lost, merely cast her a blank look.

"Doesn´t matter. Come, on, catch me!"

The ultimate lifeform beamed, then took of after her. Maria´s happy-go-lucky, carefree personality was infectous and he found himself going along with it ever more often, enjoying her presence.

ooo

A sudden sting at this description of Maria made Sonic look rapidly away. 'Happy-go-lucky, carefree personality'? Once he had been like that, too…  
It seemed like a lifetime ago now. And the time of a life can sometimes be so short…

The blue hedgehog walked quickly over to the window and looked out into the night whose dark sky seemed to mirror the infinite blackness seen from the ARK. There was a strange hurt in his chest and he felt as if something long-forgotten there was trying to extract itself from underneath a pile of rubble…

"Uhm, hello? I´m not talking to a back of quills, just so you know."

"Just…keep going, okay? I´ll hear you." Sonic answered without turning around.

ooo

They were walking again, squinting now in the dim half-light of the small fluorescent stripes on the walls. Being the only source of illumination around this part, it was barely enough to discern any doors leading away from the main corridor, let alone reading the signs on the sides.

"Hey, this one looks interesting! What do you think?"

Shadow stared at the metal frame. "I don´t know. Doesn´t seem different from any of the other doors to me. What´s so special about it?"

Maria flashed him a smile, the shadows on her face giving her a far more sinister look.

"Well, it´s got a _lock_."

The hedgehog rolled his eyes. Typical Maria.

"Hmm, you need a password to get in here…well, if this is a lab of my grandfather…" Slim fingers speedily typed in her own name. A green light flashed across the key pad and an audible click let them both know she had succeeded.

"Huh. Trust granddad never to change his passwords. Bet he will be using 'Maria' still in fifty years!" The girl was about to say more but the view which greeted both of them upon entering silenced her at once.

The laboratoy before them was huge. Rows and rows of pods and tubes lined the wall, glistening in the rays of weak light falling in from the door. All of them were filled with liquid and some of them also contained…things…Maria hastily looked away when her gaze had fallen upon one of the creatures inside. It seemed to consist of some kind of fluid itself, only slightly more dense than its surroundings and light blue in its colour – and it kept _changing, _contracting into a ball then stretching out again, sickening the girl when she so much as glanced at it. Apart from two dark greenish blotches at eye height and a sort of long-stretched metallic skull, reminiscent of the head of a goat stripped of its skin, the creature had no discernible features, making it look disturbingly alien.

The room, however, was obviously much more than just a zoologist´s (or horror-movie director´s) paradise: A massive inner chamber with glass walls dominated the centre of the lab, connected to a console from where someone could seemingly operate the force-field generators embedded in the floor of the glass dome. The blonde girl was immediately interested and scanned the buttons on its surface with raised eyebrows, trying to find out just what kind of properties this particular force-field would have.

Shadow, meanwhile, was on a discovery trip on his own. He had found what he percieved as a giant Jell-O standing up, a tall, thin column of translucent blue slime. It had the same kind of green "eyes" as the ones in the tubes but seemed far more developed and menacing. The hedgehog, oblivious to any threat but curious, experimentally stuck a hand in it started wriggling it around.

It was only his fast reflexes that saved him when the dull emerald eye-blotches suddenly flared neon-green and a tentacle shot out to punch the spot he´d just been standing in. As he landed on his hands and knees a few metres away, the strange creature had already reverted to its dormant state again. Shadow, never having learned to be afraid before, shrugged, a little bit shaken but unharmed nonetheless.

The hedgehog made a mental note to tell Maria about this later. He continued his tour through the lab, but this time the Ultimate Lifeform tip-toed cautiously around the liquid creature in a _wide_ arc. The corridors of screens, tubes and panels with exposed wires stretched out into the darkness...

Suddenly, he felt strange. There was something close-by, calling him, and although he couldn´t hear anything it was like magnetism, pulling him towards the end of the row of pods he was walking along. He started to hurry, although was careful not to run (no need for another bruised knee here) and finally reached what seemed like an over-sized fridge.

Somehow, Shadow felt a little bit disappointed.

Nevertheless, his hand closed around the handle of the door and pulled, revealing…

_Candy?_

No, Shadow blinked and looked again, this wasn´t candy, but…he reached for one of the fluorescent small glass cylinders in there and felt a tingle rushing up his arm. Energy of some sort? He thought he could hear his spines bristling. The things seemed to come in four different colours, red, yellow, green and purple. For some reason, green appealed to him most and he took one of those too, dropping the other one on the floor where it rolled under some piece of machinery.

Ooooh, _shiny_…he wanted to get at that crystal.

Going for the most obvious solution, Shadow took a firm hold of the ends with both of his hands and broke it in half.

ooo

"These cylinders…are they Chaos Drives?" Sonic asked, one eye-brow raised.

"Yes" Shadow replied, "I´m quite sure that they seemed so attractive to me because of the Chaos energy they radiate. But as far as I know, only Chao and some machines are able to use them. And green, of course, gives you the energy of speed."

Sonic nodded. He had once helped Amy to raise a Chao and positively stuffed the poor creature with the green Drives. It had been some time before the little thing was actually able to control his speed and until then there had been some interesting impressions in the surrounding walls…

_To be continued.._

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**Done:) **

**Favorite parts? worst parts? anything, anyone you want to see more/ see thrown into the incinerator?**

**Also, 'Thanks a lot' and 4 virtual candy Chaos Drives go to each of the most enthusiastic reviewers so far, azngirlchibi, KandyHouse and kitvixen:)**

**Please read and review!**


	12. Midnight Adventures II

**Chapter 12: Midnight Adventures, Part II**

"Shadow?" Maria called, "I think I´ve got that thing working, let´s see what it can do!"

She turned around to scan the room, noticing for the first time a distinct lack of hedgehog next to her. She then thought she could see something moving in the shadows, coming towards her.

"…Shadow?" she asked again, in her voice just a hint of incredulity as she stared at an Ultimate Lifeform who´d obviously had something exploding in his face.

"Stupid glowy crystals…"

"Oh, did you find something interesting too, then?" Maria wondered, barely concealing her grin upon seeing her friend´s soot-blackened muzzle.

Shadow gave her a glare, but then told of his encounter with one of the tentacled monsters.

"Oh, that would be one of the things granddad calls 'Artificial Chaos'. He wants them to be used as a defensive system one day, but as far as I know, they´re still in development. Good thing you´re so fast, huh?" She smiled at him and Shadow had to grin back.

"Anyway, I figured out what this is: an anti-gravity chamber! Look at this…"

She expertly punched some buttons that looked exactly alike to Shadow and the generators buzzed into life, giving a continous hum. Then she picked up a measuring cup sitting on the desk next to her and released it inside the glass dome through an opening. It floated gently in mid-air, drifting a little bit away from them as if carried by invisible winds.

"Neat, isn´t it? ...wait, what are you doing!" She took a step to stop Shadow, but it was already too late: The hedgehog had opened the hatch of the glass dome himself and was now busily scrambling through. He, too, entered the anti-gravity field and gave a surprised laugh as he found himself suspended roughly two feet from the ground.

Maria had rushed back to the console, fully intending to shut the force-field down, but when she actually looked at her friend, her hand stalled.

Shadow felt invigorated beyond belief. He managed to up-right himself almost instantly and reached out for the wall to his left. Acting purely on instinct he bend his arm a little and then pushed hard against the glass.

"Maria! This is…_fantastic!"_

The Ultimate Lifeform was now zipping across the floor of the dome, his black-furred feet dangling behind him. He reached the opposite wall and now braced both arms against it, pushing himself away even harder then the first time. Shifting his weight in the air, the hedgehog managed to turn around effortlessly and grinned wide. This was it.

Shadow felt as if this was what he had been waiting for all his life. The sense of speed, finally being able to move without tripping anytime he tried to go faster than a jog, it was as if he had been born again!

Or genetically engineered again. Whatever.

ooo

Sonic had to smile slightly. This part of the story reminded him very much of himself when he had broken the sound barrier for the very first time, when he had found out just how he could push himself this little bit further…he suddenly remembered that he hadn´t run properly anymore after that night at Robotnik´s base. He had felt too guilty about enjoying his speed when at that time he hadn´t been fast enough…

Maybe he could run with Shadow just one more time?

ooo

Maria stared in wonder at the hedgehog who moved with such incredible grace through the air. She´d never have thought that her Shadow would ever be able to move faster than walking pace…

The black hedgehog laughed, twirled and waved at her. He couldn´t jump since there was no ground for him to push against, but he still curled over in mid-air and bounced against the glass, flying high up and knocking the measuring jug to the floor in the process.

About three metres from the ground he uncurled and looked at Maria. Their gazes locked and for one moment time seemed to stand still as Shadow floated above her, arms spread out like wings, ceiling lights behind him turning him into a fallen angel coming down to earth…

ooo

"Stop gagging."

ooo

Suddenly, a sharp hiss as the door opened again. Maria turned around and a ray of searing white light blinded her completely. In an instant, she was seized by two powerful arms, iridiscent dancing spots in front of her eyes preventing her from even recognizing the attacker.

But the voice was familiar, although she couldn´t recall it ever being so panicky…

_"Maria! What in Darwin´s name are you doing here?!"_

She blinked, trying to make sense of the swirl of colours in front of her. Slowly, a giant moustache blinked into view…

"Grandpa?"

It was indeed the professor, still wearing his nightcap and carrying a flashlight wedged under his arm. He didn´t seem angry as such but his voice still shook with force. Gerald tried to keep it down to a whisper, not wishing to wake everyone in the near vicinity, but the anxiety and worry he had been going through in the last half an hour still manifested itself in the steel grip of his hands on Maria´s upper arms. She bit her lip to keep herself from crying, although more from shock than anything else.

"Don´t do anything like that _ever again_. Do you understand me? What _were_ you thinking!"

"Please..it hurts…" She looked at him, a pleading expression in her eyes as she wriggled in his grasp.

Gerald let go of her so quickly as if she had just turned into a Chaos Drive in danger of exploding. Recently she had been playing so much with Shadow that he had forgotten just how fragile she really was and how easily her life could possibly end if he so much as breathed in her face at the wrong time.

He managed a gruff apology and kneeled in front of the girl, not touching her anymore but still staying close. "So. What are you doing in my top-secret laboratory at this time of night?"

"Well…me and Shadow were…" she pointed upwards and Gerald´s gaze followed her outstretched finger. "What do you mean, you and…oh no. Oh Gods, please, no."

The girl and the hedgehog looked at each other again, Shadow now feeling slightly awkward in his floating position. Both of them exchanged clueless and somewhat worried glances before shifting their gazes to Gerald who was currently holding his head in his hands and trying to breathe very deeply.

"Well, Maria, you need to understand that I´m really happy for you to have found such a nice friend…"

"No, grandpa, you don´t understand…"

"…and it´s not that I´d mind you and my incredibly valuable project walking around having fun…"

"…please don´t call him 'project', grandpa, but we´ve found out that…"

"No, it´s okay, the professor can call me project if he wants to…"

"…and I do know that sometimes it can be really boring around here when you only have access to the latest high-speed satellite internet and entire goddamn _solar systems_ to watch from the windows…"

"…no, Shadow, he _can´t_ call you 'project' and grandpa, please _listen_ to me…"

"…but _why,_ Maria, do I have to find your room empty in the _middle of the night_ and my alarm system for my lab with my _most dangerous experiments_ beeping like…"

"SHADOW HAS EVOLVED!"

Silence descended.

Both the scientist and the hedgehog looked at the girl in their midst, neither of them quite able to grasp the fact that cute, little Maria had just yelled at them. Then:

"…what?"

Shadow frowned. "I have?"

"Yes!" Now it was Maria´s turn to grasp her grandfather´s shoulders and shake him (or at least pretend to do so). "In that anti-gravity field! You should have seen him, grandpa, he was whizzing around at such high speeds, sometimes he wasn´t much more than a black blur!"

Gerald stood up, now interested. "Oh, really?" Suddenly he turned around and looked at Maria quizzically. "…how did you even manage to work this console?"

She put a hand behind her head and blushed a little but could not conceal that she was secretly pleased he had noted that. "I…I read a few of your books on the machines up here…"

His eyebrows behind his glasses shot up in surprise. He was just about to launch into a full-scale Q&A session with his granddaughter about the actual expanse of her technical knowledge when something interrupted him again.

"Uhm…could you get me down here?"

_To be continued..._

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**  
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**Thx a lot for your comments so far, please read and review!:)  
**


	13. Midnight Adventures III

**Chapter 13: Midnight Adventures, Part III**

Gerald stared for a moment thoughtfully at Shadow who had started to feel distinctly uncomfortable in his defenseless position.

"Professor? I´m sorry if I have done something wrong, I…"

The human didn´t look up. He still had problems with actually _talking_ to Shadow.

Sure, the last few weeks he had spent quite an amount of time teaching the hedgehog words and phrases, but…that could still be viewed as _research_, a scientist occupying himself with his project, right? If he actually started speaking to Shadow as if he was another human being…that would mean _accepting_ him as one, thus giving him equal status and rights. And that was something that just couldn´t work out.

Right?

At this moment, though, something else was also busying his mind. The development the hedgehog had taken was quite…interesting…

Quickly he stepped over to the console and Maria stood aside. His fingers flashed even faster than his granddaughter´s over the buttons and under him, the machine excerted its whole power.

Shadow noticed an ever so slight increase in gravity and he was gradually pulled down, until there was only a mere hand´s width between him and the floor. He now seemed to be held in place and didn´t move further. With an inquisitive glance, the hedgehog shifted his weight just so much to the left until his bare foot touched the cold metal underneath him, a slight shiver running through his fur when he felt the chill.

"Very good, Shadow."

He looked up hurriedly, pulling his foot upwards in the same movement so he was floating again. The professor was looking at him through the glass wall.

"No, no, that was alright. Put one foot on the ground and…push yourself forward."

Puzzled, the hedgehog complied. He reached out tentatively, bracing his toes against the unwielding cool steel plating, bent his knee and…the sensation was immediate: He sailed forward, although this time at a slightly slower pace than before, and zipped over the floor. Now, however, the gravity was much more controlled and he didn´t just float but had the feeling that he was actually standing, sliding on a cushion of air, through which he could easily push and reach the ground, propelling himself forward and directing his path by aligning his body, leaning to either side and occasionally touching the floor with one of his feet.

Shadow laughed in sheer delight as he managed to go in a swift curve, placing his hands behind his head even, looking like an ice dancer to Maria who clapped, cheering him on.  
Gerald himself was entranced by the gracefully skating black figure, his mind whirling frantically as he evaluated the possibilities this development meant:

Of course, now that he saw it, it had been obvious. Black Doom, whose genes his creation shared, had no legs but floated – it was no wonder that the running motion wouldn´t come easily to the hedgehog, who had additionally spent the first two years of his 'life' suspended in liquid, never once touching the ground. Shadow had never been meant to run...

Finally, his ultimate lifeform could move as he had always invisioned him to. He would not have been satisfied had his creature only had the tiniest flaw. Only perfection was enough for Maria…

He shook himself as he became aware of those thoughts, suddenly afraid of the obsessive tendencies he discovered in there. Abruptly his hand shot out and deactivated the force-field, as if he hoped he could shut down that part of his mind as easily as the generators.

Shadow yelped in surprise when the power supporting him suddenly vanished and went down head-over-heels, even bruising his ear in the process. The Ultimate Lifeform sat up and rubbed the sore appendage, not quite daring to complain to the professor but feeling a little insulted nonetheless.

"Why did you have to do that?! He was so happy!" Maria immediately jumped in for him, voicing the exact thoughts of the hedgehog.

"Don´t worry, my angel," The scientist replied calmly as Shadow was walking towards them and finally climbed through the opening again, "I will make sure that Shadow will be very happy again soon."

ooo

"Okay. That just sounded wayyyy creepy. You sure the old man is still sound up here?" Sonic asked, indicating his forehead.

"Contrary to you, Sonic, sure."

ooo

Gerald wasn´t actually paying attention to what was going on around him, letting his mouth run on auto pilot. His mind was already sketching out drafts of the remarkable idea that had come to him, handing in the first blue prints and already requesting a better working environment and longer lunch breaks.

Of course, the entire project depended on one particular point…

"All right, Maria." he said, switching off the lights illuminating the glass dome, "Time for you to go back to bed and _stay_ there."

"What about Shadow?" she asked, holding the hedgehog´s hand almost protectively.

"He will come with me." Gerald put a hand on his creature´s shoulder and led them both out of the lab.

They walked back to the sleeping quarters of the civilians (and Shadow was secretly glad that the professor had found them since he wasn´t at all sure whether they could have navigated their way alone) and stopped outside Maria´s door.

"Goodnight, Shadow." She whispered, giving him a quick peck on the cheek. He hugged her but stayed silent, since by now the hedgehog was starting to feel a little anxious in the presence of the scientist who had said nothing at all during their trip but only given him contemplative looks.

"Am I going to be punished?" he asked as soon as the door had closed. It wouldn´t seem improbable for him since he had already seen other animals in experiments - mostly non-sapient mice and rats, though - receiving pain for disobedience.

"What?" The human looked at him with an expression of slight surprise. "No, of course not. I can already guess this little nocturnal expedition was not your idea but Maria´s, and fairness, after all, should be one of our highest values."

Fairness. Shadow nodded slowly, trying to understand the idea and memorizing the concept. If the professor thought highly of something, the hedgehog wanted to try to live up to it.

Gerald let go of his shoulder when they had entered the main lab of the professor, the place of Shadow´s creation. It was slightly smaller then the other one they had just visited and contained only a few liquid-filled tubes, all of them empty, as was the pedestal that had once held the copy of the Chaos emerald. Other than that, desks, screens and shelves lined the walls, and a lot of complicated-looking gear was spread out on the metal table in the centre. Gerald lifted the hedgehog to sit on top of it and selected a gadget that looked very much like a stethoscope linked to a geiger counter box.

"What is this?" Shadow asked, pricking up his ears in curiosity.

"It´s a Chaos detector." The professor explained patiently, "I will use it to find out just where the energy that´s obviously within you is flowing exactly. Now please hold still."

Without further ado, the scientist pressed the cold metal disc against Shadow´s chest. Immediately, the box emitted a low hum that increased its pitch the closer Gerald moved his hand towards the hedgehog´s heart.

Gerald nodded. _That was to be expected_. Further inspection confirmed that obviously his experiment´s brain and hands were pools for the energy as well and luckily also…

_His feet,_ the professor thought. _Bingo._

"Very well." He nodded to Shadow who had been following the procedure with no small amount of confusion.

"You can go to sleep now, I´ve got some work to do."

Shadow slipped down from the table as Gerald was already switching on the light above a desk on the other side of the lab. While the human sat down and started to sketch something on a digital drawing board, the hedgehog made his way over to his…well, you couldn´t really call it a cage anymore since the scientists had soon discovered that any sort of imprisonment would be cruel and unnecessary, but the general impression remained, even without a lock on the outside. Inside, though, were enough blankets and cushions to keep a nest-building obsessed mouse happy and Shadow settled into his bed comfortably enough.

He thought to curl up a little, but then sat up again and looked at the hunched, lonely figure across the room. Acting on a sudden impulse, he surprised himself by calling out: "Goodnight, Professor!"

The figure froze. When Gerald finally managed to turn around after a few seconds, the hedgehog had already closed his eyes. The scientist was forced to smile. Whispering in order not to wake him, he replied: "Goodnight…Shadow."

Shadow´s ear twitched, showing that he had heard anyway.

_To be continued.._

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**Sorry for the long intervall! The next chappie will be up sooner. :) I also started to exchange the line breaks in the story against slightly subtler scene-change indicators (ooo) since I was told they disrupt the flow of the story. Hope you ****like this new style better as well. **

**Please read and review! **


	14. The Power of Science

XXX scene change

ooo switch from past to present

X--X joke with Sonic in non-emo state, able to break the fourth wall

* * *

**Chapter 14: The Power of Science**

Vincent was typing away at the keyboard furiously. For the past few hours (and nights) he had been trying to create a program to access encrypted files without their owner noticing but so far, he had failed miserably. He hit the enter key again and again, but only the same error message, accompanied by that annoying beeping sound would pop up.

In a sudden fit of frustration and fury, he let out a guttural snarl and swore, ripping the keyboard from its cable and hurling it across the empty computer room. Immediately after that, he clutched his face in his hands, doubling over where he was sitting, nearly touching the surface in front of the screen with his sweaty forehead. He shivered, his breath hitching and coming out in rapid gasps.

Sweet Lord, what was the matter with him? Vincent knew he had not been getting enough sleep in the last few weeks, usually due to his spending all night in front of the computer, but that shouldn´t have been enough to sent him over the edge like that, even if he _was_ frustrated. He breathed deeply, trying to calm himself and shuddered again. Slowly rocking back and forth, his heart gradually began slowing down once more.

The boy looked at the clock in the corner of the screen with blood-shot eyes, and raised his eyebrows upon realizing that it was already morning.

Jesus, he was really taking this too far.

The son of the General sighed and leaned back, looking at the mess he´d made of the keyboard when it had hit the wall. Vincent closed his eyes again, trying to shut out the image of the abused gadget and reality in one go.

No use.

He _knew_ why he was like that! Reduced to an insommniac, always teetering on the edge of a temper tantrum or a depression. He knew it exactly.

It was that hedgehog.

Usually working on his computer would calm him. Not now, though. The reason why his project wouldn´t even advance one bit was that his thoughts continually drifted towards Maria and that wretched mutant who had stolen her away from him. Oh yes, he was jealous. But that wasn´t all there was to it.

He was also afraid.

In his opinion humans invented tools, robots and machines that would help them, fight for them, but never turn against them. The humans were in _control. _

Intelligent animals did not fit well into Vincent´s, or his father´s, scheme of the world. There should only be ONE intelligent race and that was them, period. And now there was this black-spined pest, speaking and breathing, walking around…and it was supposed to be the Ultimate.

What if that hedgehog suddenly decided it didn´t want to obey the scientists anymore? What if it would _dare_ to hurt Maria? His hands trembled at the thought. What if that experiment turned out to be dangerous? He calmed himself again, before he could have another panic attack and thought more rationally. The creature didn´t _seem_ to be very powerful at least. Just pathetically clumsy.

Still, it wouldn´t do to let a potential danger like that out of sight. Also, the animal should be put back into its place, lest any ideas about a status equal to that of a human should form in its mind. It was a slave, an object and should be treated as such.

Vincent kicked the keyboard on the floor aside and stood up.

Maybe he should talk to his father about his worries. He thought that his old man probably would just wave him off, but it was still worth a try. At least he could show him that way that his son truly cared about what was going on aboard the ARK;…Vincent´s steps became quicker, his breath constricting in his throat as he imagined just getting one kind word out of his father…he swallowed hard and stepped into the office, trying to keep himself composed.

XXX

Shadow awoke to the sound of distant voices. Due to his nocturnal trips and the scientists who rarely let him have a moment´s peace during the day, however, he still felt rather sleepy and just turned over to doze off again.

Random bits of the conversation floated through his mind…

XXX

"Can I, Grandpa? Can I?" Maria´s eyes shone excitedly as she was leaning on Gerald´s desk, her hands on his papers effectively preventing him from getting even the smallest step further with his work.

"I´m not too sure about that, Maria…" he stroked his moustache hesitatingly.

"Pretty please? He has been out with me before, don´t forget! And now that you have confirmed that he´s intelligent and all, you can´t really say anything against it anymore! I´ve read it up on the internet, it´s against sapient´s rights to keep them confined if they haven´t committed a crime." She smiled sweetly, fully knowing that her grandfather was now pretty much a trapped lab rat.

And she the scientist with the genetically enhanced killer cat in her arms.

"Well?"

"Oh, Maria…" Gerald sighed in sorrow, knowing that he had already lost. "…alright. You can take him out and around the ARK."

"Thank you!" The girl flung herself over the table and hugged the old man. Gerald was startled and gently pried her away, not wishing that she caught something from his skin…

"At the moment I don´t have that much use for him anyway, I need to complete this project here…"

"What is it?" She was standing opposite him once more, now leaning over and trying to read the papers upside down.

"Nothing you need to concern yourself with. It shall be revealed soon enough."

"Is it something to do with Shadow?"

"Well…yes."

"Is it a present for him?!" she clapped her hands, "Oh Grandpa, you´re the _best_!"

"Yes…no…in a way, Maria, please calm down!" He looked at her beaming face, his own creased with worry. He actually didn´t know why he was doing this himself, when he should rather be working on the cure for his grandchild…he shook his head sadly.

Maria´s smile faded. "Grandpa, is something wrong?"

"Oh, my angel…I don´t know how to tell you this…"

ooo

"Will he tell her that she has to die?"

Shadow looked up at Sonic, surprised. There was no emotion discernible on the the face of his counterpart and the black hedgehog wondered why the other had asked him that.

"Not exactly, no."

Sonic nodded absently. He was wondering what had made him ask, too. If Maria was to die, then…Shadow would lose his closest friend as well...

A few months ago, shortly after Tails´ death, that thought would have seemed appealing to Sonic. Let everyone else suffer like him for good.

A few weeks ago, when he had already retreated into his isolation, it wouldn´t really have mattered to him anyway. Who was he to care about another useless living being?

_Now_, however…Shadow´s story had brushed over a lot of old memories of a life he hadn´t thought was his anymore. A life he had tried his best to forget. And there was something definitely stirring inside him now…hadn´t he once been a hero?

A hero who cared about dying people...

He shook himself vigorously, trying to get away from those thoughts that still hurt too much. Better to focus on the story.

ooo

"What? What do you need to tell me?"

XXX

In his nest, Shadow noticed the voices now sounding more concerned and worried, but was still too drowsy to get up. He curled into a ball once again, convincing himself that it was just for five more minutes…

XXX

"About your little friend, Shadow…" He paused yet another time, looking distinctly unhappy with the world in general.

"Grandpa! Please, just tell me what it is!"

Gerald hesitated. He really didn´t want to talk about that to her, had no desire to burden her young mind with such heavy loads. At the same time, however, the scientist himself felt that he was going to shatter if he couldn´t share his troubles with someone who´d understand him. Cursing himself for his own weakness, he said: "Maria…so far, I haven´t yet found a way to heal you without sacrificing Shadow in the process."

ooo

"Oh my gods! Does that mean that in the end she will have to make a desperate choice between friendship and her own life?!"

Shadow glared at Sonic who, complete with tissue paper clutched tightly to his chest, was now kneeling on the table, staring at him wide-eyed and breathless, their faces mere inches away from each other.

"Please, Shadow, tell me! I can´t stand the suspense!" Sonic was actually managing to let his eyes glisten with fake tears. That was much better – let some jokes drown the confusion that was trying to overwhelm him again…

"Get away from me, Sonic. If you don´t like my story, tell me, but stop goofing around."

He pushed the blue hedgehog back and had to resist the urge to slap him for ruining such a touching moment.

Besides, that was how it had happened, dammit! He was _not_ being melodramatic!

ooo

Maria looked at him as if she had been frozen in ice, all colour from her pale cheeks drained. He averted his gaze, not able to meet the fear, or worse, the silent accusation that he knew would show in her eyes.

For a few moments they just stood there, the old man and the young girl, both bathed in the cold blue rays of the neon lamps that were the suns of the space colony.

"Grandfather…"

She spoke softly, and Gerald almost couldn´t believe his ears. Far from despair, sadness or fury the voice of his grandchild actually held something else. Hesitatingly he raised his head and let his stare travel over the features of Maria, which were curved into a slight smile and seemed to show…could it be hope?

"Grandfather…" she started again and oddly enough, the use of this formal address instead of the affectionate form made her sound years older. She now seemed to be a young adult rather than a child, even if she hadn´t even reached her fourteenth birthday yet.

Maria opened her mouth and chose her words carefully.

"If I had been born a hundred years earlier, I would never have lived long enough to walk on my own feet. But I am alive now, through the power of science. And one day, science will also ensure that I can be…" she paused, but forced herself to continue, "..healed." Her voice trembled a little, but there was still that same, slightly sad smile on her lips.

"You told that to me, once. Do you remember? You said that through research and determination mankind has always been trying to reach for the stars, grab the tails of comets and create the sun themselves. You said that from the Stone Age until now science has always achieved that what had been deemed impossible. And I believe in that, grandfather. I believe that everything which seems unattainable now, might one day become reality through the power of science. Even healing me without hurting Shadow." She looked at him expectantly and also somewhat anxious, revealing that underneath that sharp intelligence a young girl still cowered, needing reassurance.

Gerald reached down and hugged her tightly, silently in awe of his own grandchild. A Robotnik through and through. And then growing up among nothing but scientists and labs…

Although slightly worrying about Maria´s path in the future – and thinking about his _other_ grandson, Ivo – he nevertheless felt new hope surging through his old heart as well.

He stood up and laid a hand on her shoulder as if she was his colleague.

"Nothing is impossible, eh?"

She grinned. " Nothing. We´re scientists!"

Gerald winked. "What about surpassing the speed of light?"

Maria groaned, exasperated. "You just _had_ to bring Einstein up, hadn´t you?!"

He gave a very rare smirk. "Couldn´t resist. But I think you´re right. I _will_ find a way to cure you without sacrificing our hedgehog. And I think you can take him out to play now, he´s probably already awake."

_And I think that it´s about time for me to start teaching you personally, too…_he mused as he watched her scampering off to Shadow´s cage. _A female in the Robotnik line…hmm…_

ooo

"Wait a minute, as Super Sonic I _am_ able to go at the speed of light!" But he hadn´t gone Super for a long, long time…

Shadow rolled his eyes. "Suuuure you are."

"I am so! You´re just jealous."

The black hedgehog cocked an eyebrow. "Sonic, if you were actually able to travel at approximately 300 000, 000 metres per second you wouldn´t only screw up every single physics class ever held, but you also couldn´t see a goddamned thing, at least, nothing that would make sense."

"Huh?"

"Well, the rays of light make you see the world, but they too need _time_ to reach you. If you were rushing around at the same speed as them, you would either end up seeing frozen images, complete darkness or you might even be glancing at the past!" Shadow, having had listened to a lot of Maria´s science classes, felt incredibly smug.

"Do you understand that?"

"…can we just go back to the nice, simple story?"

_To be continued..._

* * *

**Right, for those who asked, i just threw in one page of Vincent although I had actually planned not to use him until some time later. ** **I hope you liked his appearance though, and a confrontation with Shadow should follow up soon. :)**

**Next update might take some time, but boy, it´s gonna be a big one... **

**Also, one reason why this chapter was late was that I found it insanely difficult to write, especially that part with Maria. I definitely need some feedback on how you thought the conversation went. Interesting? Weird? Clichéd? Sappy? **

**Please tell me!  
**


	15. Enter Snively

**Chapter 15: Enter Snively**

"Shadow! Shadow, wake up! "

The still prostrate hedgehog found himself viciously tackled in his own cage as Maria had already thrown her arms around him and was squeezing the life out of his torso.

He yelped. "What the…Maria! Stop that! I can't breathe!" Shadow protested.

The girl complied, letting go of him…just to immediately bury her face in his ivory chest fur, violently nuzzling the white patch with her nose and mouth while breathing out at the same time. Shadow immediately tried to curl up, but to no avail.

"M-Maria! That's not fair, you _know_ I'm tickl-…" he couldn't help himself anymore but instead started to squirm helplessly as the giggles rose inside of him, his limbs twitching and weakly pushing against Maria's merciless grasp.

After a few moments the girl ended the unfair fight and raised her face again, locking twinkling eyes with her friend who was still lying among the cushions and now breathing rather raggedly. Shadow immediately crossed both arms in front of his chest, his hands protecting the white fluff as much as possible, even if there were still some cream strands protruding.

ooo

Sonic grinned mischievously. "So…does that mean that your chest fur is your one weakness?"

"Don't. You. _Dare_."

ooo

"I'll…I'll get you for this…" he panted, his stomach muscles still almost cramping although he himself was grinning.

She smiled, "Sorry…but ever since you grew that stuff, I can't help it. It just makes you downright _adorable!"_

Shadow winced as her voice immediately went one octave higher. He had once asked Gerald about Maria's erratic behaviour at times, but the scientist had just muttered something that sounded like "Goddamn puberty" and left it at that. The Ultimate Lifeform had chosen not to inquire further. Maybe it was some kind of embarrassing disease that he should help cure later?

"You…you think so?" he felt his face growing hot, although he didn't know why. An Ultimate Lifeform didn't get fever, did it?

"Yup," she gave him another grin and slid her fingers quickly under his surprised hands, ruffling them through the fur for one last time, enjoying the feeling of the soft tufts. The edges of Shadow's mouth started twitching again and he rolled on his side, trying to get away from the inquisitive touch of his friend.

The girl eventually removed her hand reluctantly before his sharp quills could cut her arm. The hedgehog's spikes had hardened more and more until they were positively blades and both of them had learned that they had to be quite careful if they started any play-fights.

"Come on, I promise to leave your precious chest fur alone for the day. Will you get up now? We can get some breakfast."

He turned around again, now lying on his belly and staring into her face, "Breakfast? With you?"

"Uh huh. For such a highly-developed experiment you're not very fast on the uptake. Let's go!" she grabbed one of his hands and pulled him onto his feet.

He was a bit shaky – a small part of him still expected to float like he had done in the anti-gravity chamber, as if that was actually his prime method of moving – and therefore glad for her support.

Together, they exited the laboratory and made their way down the metal aisle towards the dining room. Shadow was much exited – he had never been to the human dining area before and hadn't seen a lot of other humans (except some scientists) either.

"I didn't know there were such a lot of people aboard the ARK. How many live here?"

She frowned. "Well, I'd say close to two hundred, approximately, divided equally between scientists and military. _We_ are conducting research, but I have no idea what GUN is doing here. Maybe they're around in case something goes wrong?" She laughed, "Who knows, maybe we would all get abducted by aliens otherwise."

Shadow smiled slightly, although he didn't quite know why Maria would find that funny. He noted however, how naturally she included herself with the scientists. The hedgehog wasn't quite sure what to make of them himself – he found them mildly annoying at times, yet was grateful that they were using him to try to find a cure for Maria. He was happy about the fact that he existed to save the girl that meant the world to him.

Regarding GUN…he knew the professor didn't like the military for a fact, although the reason for that animosity eluded him. He had decided to simply wait until he could form an opinion for himself. Of course, there was still that boy, he thought Vincent was his name…for some reason Shadow could tell that the son of the General didn't like him, even if he didn't know why, since contact had been sparse.

While the hedgehog was still musing, a door suddenly opened in front of them and they entered into a huge hall, filled with an array of tables, chairs, benches and booths, all lined up against one wall that was basically a window. Harsh sunlight fell through the filtering glass on the various metal surfaces, its bright glare not broken by an atmosphere, thus giving the entire room a sort of edgy, surreal look.

The humans in there didn't seem to mind, though. They were scattered everywhere, sitting at tables, staring out through the window where another part of the ARK slowly circled into view, busily hacking away on laptops or standing around chatting, while others still were queuing with their trays to receive yet another healthy portion of freeze-dried delicacies. You could positively see the joy on their faces.

"They look sick," Shadow observed, immediately worried about Maria.

"Oh, I don't think so," his friend replied, "you'll have to wait until _after_ they've eaten for that."

Once more the hedgehog was confused, but didn't show it. He noticed that obviously the professors, doctors and laboratory workers kept separate from the soldiers, as if there was an invisible rift between the two groups. Shadow was about to say something about it to Maria, when a gruff voice interrupted them.

"What the _hell_ do you think you're doing, girl?!" a small man in a white lab coat came striding towards them and grabbed Maria roughly on the arm. "Don't you know what that _is?!_" he asked, pointing at Shadow, "UL 2/23 is NOT supposed to be out here, you stupid child! What on earth made you release it?!"

He turned around sharply and motioned to two soldiers in uniform with their guns strapped firmly around their chests. "Hey, you two apes! Escort the experiment immediately back into Robotnik's lab! Don't you hear me?"

The two young men looked at him irritated, as is he was a kind of bad smelling piece of underwear that for some reason just wouldn't shut up. But they moved towards the trio nevertheless, one of them even reaching for his weapon.

Maria finally recovered from the assault and snatched her arm away, "You will do nothing of the sort!" She glared angrily at the offending scientist, "_Shadow_ can do whatever he wants and _Professor_ Robotnik has given him permission." The soldiers had stopped moving and looked from the girl to the man to the hedgehog confusedly.

Shadow felt with them and gave the two a shrug and a sympathetic smile, something which inexplicably startled them even more.

Lab Coat rounded on Maria again, this time some slight insecurity underlining the fury in his voice, "What did you say?"

"My grandfather told me that I can take my friend for breakfast here. Obviously they haven't been updating you on the current research or otherwise you would be aware that Shadow is not some sort of 'dangerous experiment' but a sapient anthropomorph, just like the terrestrial species on earth. May I enquire your name?"

Shadow simply had to grin as he watched the mouth of the other human open and close, but without actually saying anything. His friend had that effect when she wanted to and he knew for a fact that she learned words from her dictionary simply for the sake of shutting other people up. Usually it worked.

The scientist with the nearly bald head (save for the eight odd hairs, although he couldn't be older than 35) and the beardless face, that was dominated by an oddly protruding nose which gave him a rather rat-like appearance, was stunned for the moment.

"Well?" she prompted, now sporting a bright, if fake, smile again.

"I…I am Doctor Snively…" he struggled to regain his composure. "Yes, Doctor Snively." He repeated, his voice once again becoming sharper. "And as one of the chief scientists here I can't allow UL 2/23 to run loose. Now, if you two would finally get moving and take that hedgehog…" he turned around to the pair of soldiers again, only to notice that they had disappeared, freaked out by the strange behaviour of the 'experiment'. He stood there for a few moments, staring into empty air then began furiously waving his hands around, at a loss how to express his frustration. It looked like an odd mating dance.

"Well, Doctor Snively, you probably know that Professor Robotnik is _the_ chief scientist aboard here. If you want to have any quarrel, please go to him and take up his valuable time, I am sure he won't mind," and with an angelic face, she took Shadow's hand and pulled him away towards the food counter.

"W-wait!" Snively called out after them, but Maria didn't even look back.

Shadow, feeling some sympathy for the strange little man, threw him one last glance and waved over his shoulder. "Sorry, but we're hungry!"

Why the jaw of the scientist nearly hit the floor after this remark was beyond him.

XXX

They got in line for their food, Maria indicating to Shadow that he should take one of the trays from the stack. The hedgehog did as he was told, but couldn't help but wonder at the odd behaviour of the other humans towards him. He also noticed that the people in their close proximity had fallen strangely silent, staring at them or whispering to each other, their eyes fleetingly glancing at Shadow, as if they didn't want to be caught gaping but couldn't help it anyway. The hedgehog felt a cold shiver running down his spine and shuffled his back quills uncomfortably. He squeezed the wrist of his friend and looked up at her nervously.

"Maria…"

"Hmm?" She had been noticing the stares too, and felt the familiar fury rising up within her. This was Shadow's first outing by 'day' and they did not have the right to ruin it!

"Something the matter? Do we have Chaos Emeralds growing out of our heads and you just noticed?" she suddenly lashed out at the nearest person, a young woman who immediately jumped at such a harsh tone. Seeing that it was just a small girl, she composed herself again but was still slightly nervous. Of course, nobody was actually _afraid_ of Maria, but most people knew that she was the granddaughter of the head scientist after all, and it was unknown how the old man might react if somebody managed to seriously piss his little girl off…

"No, nothing!" the young scientific assistant hastily quit the food line and went over to another group of her colleagues.

The Ultimate Lifeform was in the canteen! It almost seemed like a weird nightmare. There was a small clear circle around the pair, since _everyone_ knew what rumours there were about UL 2/23…what he supposedly was capable of…who was meant to control him…what his destined purpose was.

Of course, neither Shadow nor Maria were aware of the details of the gossip that was spreading right now but they could very well pick up on the general mood. The hedgehog felt suspicion, fear and for some reason anger or even…hunger? – he shuddered – radiating from the people around him, scientists and soldiers alike. He stared at the ground, his good mood of the outing with Maria rapidly fading.

ooo

Sonic noticed a slight change in the voice of Shadow, even if the black hedgehog did a great job of concealing it. It seemed to harden just the tiniest bit and the blue hero felt oddly…comforted by it. Shadow had been going through the same things as he. When he had refused to go stop Robotnik after Tails was no longer there, the public had scorned him, or feared that he might even step over to the other side. Those glances had crushed what little spirit he had had left at that time and defeated him entirely. Sonic looked up in slight surprise as his dark friend's voice suddenly changed anew, resuming his lighter tone…

ooo

"Hey, Shadow," Past Shadow looked up as well, gazing into the smiling face of Maria and felt his spirits lift again. Who cared about the other people he didn't even know? After all, Maria was the one most important to him and he shouldn't forget that.

ooo

Sonic smiled himself as Shadow continued. He suddenly wondered how many hours it would be 'til sunrise…

ooo

"Let's finally get some food, shall we?" they had reached the counter by now and were standing in front of a huge selection of edibles.

The serving cook, an elderly Afro-American, greeted them friendly. "Good morning, Maria! Your usual sterilized plastic dish, I presume?" She nodded with a grimacing smile on her face as Nate got out the vacuum-sealed food and cutlery from a specifically prepared acid bath and cleansed them under a small shower before handing them to her with gloves. It was a wonder she could even sit with other people in the dining room…

"I brought a friend today," she announced, managing a cheerful tone despite the gruesome nutritional prospects.

"Really? Good morning, Vincent, haven't seen you in…huh?" the cook had turned around, apparently expecting to see the son of the General next to Maria, but when he leaned over the counter and saw the small black figure, he lapsed into silence.

"What. The hell. Is _that_?" he asked.

ooo

Sonic chuckled. "Pretty much the same words I thought when I met you first, too, Shads."

"Faker…" Shadow admonished in mock warning.

ooo

"Hi. I'm Project Shadow."

Nate stared at him, eyebrows rising high on a forehead that was already creased with the wrinkles of decades. "Hi…I guess. My name's Nate. Nice to meet you…" they shook hands gingerly and Maria was relieved that at least a few people knew some courtesy.

"Well then…Shadow, what do you want?" he asked, indicating the range of foods on offer.

The hedgehog stared at Maria, clueless. "What do I do? I don't know any of this stuff."

She looked at him, taken aback. "Wait, what? What have you eaten before, then?"

He shrugged. "Some pills now and then. Sometimes I got this weird white stew, but I didn't like it very much, so I usually chucked it in the waste disposal when they weren't looking."

Maria spoke with a hand covering her eyes, "Good gods, Shadow…when was the last time you actually _ate_ something?!"

He pondered for a moment, "Maybe four or five days ago?"

There was a _little_ bit of silence.

"Maria? Is something wrong?"

ooo

"I daresay there is!" Sonic interrupted him. "Just what kind of stuff are you trying to make me believe, here?!"

Shadow shrugged, much like his younger counterpart in the story and gave a small, smug grin, "Ultimate Lifeform. I don't need much food."

"But—but…._five friggin days_?!"

"I can actually go for months without sustenance, maybe years. It's Chaos energy that keeps me alive. At some stage I'll enter a sort of hibernation and everything but the most basic functions shut down, but it won't kill me."

Sonic looked at him suspiciously, "…you just say that because you've never tried Chilli dogs."

Shadow rolled his eyes. He actually _had _tried Chilli dogs once…and decided afterwards that he would rather drink toxic waste on ice and then scrub his tongue clean with a steel brush. For the sake of public peace, he decided to keep that particular gem to himself, though.

ooo

Snively stomped swiftly along the corridors, rage and humiliation burning hotly within him as if he had swallowed incandescent coals. The experiment! Walking around like some goddamn pet rat on a leash! If the General knew that! _Ooooh_, if the General knew that!

He arrived at the main lab where his superior usually spent his working hours and burst through the open door frame.

"Professor Robotnik!"

Gerald, surprised by the force of the entry, turned around, "…yes?"

The other scientist clearly seemed to be very mad at someone or something. The way he was waving around those papers was quite unsettling. "Your granddaughter! The experiment! Both in the canteen!" he proclaimed as if Shadow had been seen selling heroine in the orphanage.

"And where is the problem, dear doctor?" the eyebrows of the professor knitted themselves together like angry bugs, preparing to charge at a common enemy.

"_You know full well where the problem is!_ UL 2/23 is no…"

"Actually, he prefers to be called 'Shadow' nowadays."

"Whatever!"

Gerald was well aware of the fact that riling up the excitable doctor probably wasn't the wisest choice but he wouldn't have been a Robotnik if there hadn't been a mischievous streak somewhere in him…

Snively now drew himself to his very small full height, (with all his eight hairs standing on end) and continued his rant, an accusing index finger jabbing at the air in front of the professor, "As I said before, you know full well that the project is not meant to be a cuddle toy for your granddaughter! That is not its purpose! It is dangerous!"

"He."

"What?!"

"Shadow. He is a he."

"…are you trying to make fun of me?"Snively asked in a dangerously low voice.

"Wouldn't dream of it."

"Well, 'he' needs to be transported into 'his' containment cage and fast! If not…"

The small man had just pointed at Shadow's holding area and fell silent as soon as he looked at the place. The 'containment cage' was barely visible underneath the cheerfully coloured patchwork kilts, various fluffy cushions, a small thermos flask with a cup and some books Maria had lent Shadow. On top of it all lay a toy duck.

For a moment, the finger of the speechless doctor just trembled there in silence, "WHAT IN THE NAME OF SCIENCE IS THIS?!"

The toy duck fell down.

Gerald shrugged, staring nonchalantly at his subordinate, whose beet-red face complimented his broccoli-green sweater nicely. "You surprise me, doctor Snively. It is of course his containment cage. Isn't that obvious?" Gerald was seriously considering an acting career now, while Snively felt close to screaming. This was a nightmare come true!

"Professor…" he started again, "surely you realize that this can't be happening."

Gerald dropped the act and crossed his arms, "I _do_ realize that this laboratory and my creations belong to me, yes. And I also realize that I may use them in whatever way I wish. Shadow will be the key for the cure for NIDS and it is unimportant whether my granddaughter takes him out in between experiments, be it for breakfast, lunch, or a day at the park."

"But the General…"

"The General, my dear colleague, has other areas of expertise than science and it will be best if everyone sticks to what they do best, hmm?"

"But…" Snively pointed again, somewhat forlornly at the rubber duck, "You…you can't be serious..."

"Oh, but I am!" the professor replied cheerfully as he started to lead the doctor out of the lab, "But now you will understand that I am very busy with a new project and you will have to excuse me."

"Uhm…uhm..." Snively stammered as he was directed around tables and benches towards the exit, "may I ask _which_ new project?"

"Certainly!" Gerald favoured him with another beaming smile and answered, "I am just inches away from a serious break-through in hedgehog skating shoe research!"

Snively exploded.

* * *

**Chapter 15 is here and as promised, it´s long. **

**If there´s any Archie/SatAM fans reading this, you might have spotted one or two easter eggs...if not, I can assure you won´t be bothered by it, it´s just cameos. :) If you´re pondering what Vincent´s up to...(grins) well, that should be in the next chapter, too.  
**

**Next up: Rise and Fall of the Robotniks - Chronicles of a family. **

**Please read and review! **

**  
**


	16. Rise and Fall of the Robotniks

Note: X--X markers mean that the following gag is NOT part of the actual frame storyline. Sonic and shadow will then have their usual personalities, not the ones I gave them for this fic and maybe break the fourth wall at times. Sort of clumsy, i know, but otherwise our emotionally scarred blue hero wouldn´t be able to entertain you with his jokes - if you have any idea how to do it better, PLEASE tell me.

* * *

**Chapter 16: Rise and Fall of the Robotniks**

Shadow soon found himself balancing a small mountain of food that was precariously teetering whenever he so much as _breathed_, but Maria seemed determined to have him try all the different meals there were. Apparently she was convinced that the four days her friend had missed out on nutrition could best be remedied by cramming the lost dishes in all at once, with sprinkles on top.

"Maria…" Shadow started nervously as a round, hard-boiled egg was starting a precarious expedition to the edge of his balancing salad plate,  
"…I really think this is enough!"

The girl stopped from ravaging the baskets on display and actually took a look at her friend. The unfortunate Ultimate Lifeform was currently supporting three dishes with each arm (only one plate of them being Maria´s), had a cereal bowl clutched to his chest with an elbow and a packet of muesli bars wedged under his axle. The salad plate finally inclined even more and the egg expedition came to a rather abrupt end as the white orb bounced off Shadow´s foot.

The hedgehog gave her a pained look.

"Uh…I guess you´re right…", she said, contemplating her doubtful stacking skills. "Oh, well. Let´s take that table over there, I´ll just get our drinks." She pointed him towards a booth a few metres away and turned before adding "Don´t forget the fruit!", placing a pineapple on his head.

Shadow sighed and made his way towards their place, the fruit wobbling as he tried to keep his balance, a task even harder than usual due to the unfamiliar weight.

Once there, he shifted the various plates on the table with difficulty – he still didn´t reach higher than two feet and a half and only his ears perked over the metal surface.

Finally seating himself, Shadow looked around for Maria. His friend seemed to have disappeared behind a wall of other humans trying to get their beverages. The hedgehog let his searching gaze travel around the room some more and noticed that mostly everybody was staring at him. Some dropped their eyes when he tried to make contact, others kept staring boldly, but Shadow could discover none of the warmth in their expressions that Maria´s (or even Gerald´s) features always seemed to hold. He began feeling uncomfortable and awkward again, but now for the first time a slight tinge of resentment was also mixed in those feelings…like a young rose that had just grown its first thorn.

ooo

"Uhm, Shads…"

The black hedgehog sighed. "Yes, Sonic? What is it now?"

"Uhh…you know…guys being compared to roses sounds kinda…_gay_?"

"Don´t get your hopes up, sweetheart."

"Wh-what?! I was not trying to…oh, _jeez_!"

Shadow snickered, while a blushing and flustered Sonic curled up on the edge of the couch as far away from him as possible.

_Serves him right for interrupting all the time._

ooo

…but now for the first time a slight tinge of resentment also shone on his features…a young venus flytrap that had just grown its first trichome.

ooo

Sonic sweatdropped. "If possible, that was even worse."

"Fine! _You _think of metaphors for a change!"

ooo

"Hey, Shadow! Here I am, I got some mineral water, coke, apple juice, orange squash, milk, chocolate…" – one of the plastic cups fell from her hands at this moment and a puddle started to form at her feet – "…and until recently, I also_ had_ an ice tea."

She blushed at her clumsiness but then fought it down with a scowl. "I´ll just get you a new one. Be right back –"

"No!"

Maria looked at the white-gloved hand that had caught her wrist so quickly with surprise.

"…you don´t like ice tea?"

"I…I just don´t want to be alone in here, okay?"

"Oh." Understanding dawned on her face and the eyes that usually reminded the other adults of a child angel now narrowed briefly in unfamiliar anger. "I see."

She sighed and seated herself opposite Shadow. "That´s okay, I´ll stay, then"

That being settled, something else had already captured the young hedgehog´s interest.

"Hey, where´s the iced tea going?", he asked, pointing at the amber liquid which was quickly sinking into the floor without leaving a trace.

She smiled proudly. "That´s an invention of my father. Miniature holes in the metal, like pores. Very useful in areas where there´s danger of liquid being spilled, for example factories or kitchens – they´re too small to be felt when walking across them, even barefoot, but everything that´s not solid can go through and straight into the internal sewage works."

"Wow. And your father thought of that?"

"Uh-huh. He´s the son of my granddad, after all. We Robotniks have always been scientists and inventors and I will be one, too." She beamed at him with that air of innocence that had brought most grown-ups to their knees before her, but suddenly her face fell. "All except one."  
His friend added and hung her head. "My uncle."

Something in the tone of her voice made Shadow feel as if a snake of ice was just sliding down his spine.

"Your uncle?"

"Yes…I´m not supposed to know, but I heard Mom and Dad argueing about it at night, back when I still…" she paused, but swallowed and continued with a slightly shakier voice, "…lived with them on Earth.

"My great-grandfather was the most famous so far, Edmund Robotnik, who has discovered and explained most of what is known about Chaos Emeralds and Energy today. Of course, granddad was all ambitious to follow in his research and was a top student in all sciences. He went to the most high-class universities, Station Square and Soleanna and the like, eventually succeeding in furthering the findings of his father and exploring the possible applications for that energy.

"But what he was not as adept at…was social life."

X--X

"He has a grandson who blows up Zones for fun. I would expect him to be a party killer with that."

"Can it, Sonic, or I will ask that grandson for one of those giant checkered balls he´s so fond of. I would continue to use it in best tradition."

"Oh, you know you actually love me."

X--X

She blushed slightly. "He was as rash and forward in relationships as he was in his studies and methods of research. He had a girlfriend…and was a father when only seventeen."

Shadow had no concept of appropriate ages for human parenthood, but could sense that something apparently was not right about that. Maria seemed almost…_ashamed_ of Gerald?

"He…panicked and left her. She wanted an abortion or adoption, but her parents were very fundamentalist, strict people and forced her to keep the child regardless, even giving him the surname of his father to remind everyone who did this to their daughter...  
And thus, under tears, the first Robotnik was born who would not bring honour to the family."

Her narration had dropped to a whisper now and Shadow had to stand on the bench on his side and lean over the table with ears pricked forward to still hear her – he was deeply worried about his friend who had her hands clasped tightly in her lap with her fingernails digging half-moons of pain into her skin.

"He was christened Brutus and grew up with a mother who could scarcely take care of him or show him his limits. He dropped out of high school and was too aggressive to ever attain any degree of education. The 'Robotnik gene' as granddad calls it – the combination of nucleotides that had gifted every single family member with outstanding intelligence and a wish to benefit mankind for generations – seemed to have been lost in him. And then, Brutus, frustrated and filled with bitterness, made the same mistake as his hated father;  
He was almost the same age when his child was born.

And as Ivo Robotnik grew up, you could see the gene hadn´t been lost. Just horribly, horribly twisted."

Dark spots had started to collect on the sky-blue dress in her lap (and Shadow was now kneeling on the table in front of her, patting her head in a helpless attempt to comfort) but she kept going.

"My…" she seemed to have to force the next word out, as if it was something alien to her and had not been used before, "…_cousin_ went to school and the teachers immediately saw that this was no ordinary child – he was a prodigy. But they thought the surname to be a mere coincidence…those fools…"

X--X

Sonic wiped a tear from his eye. "They grow up so fast, don´t they, Shads? Already calling ordinary people 'fools' like her grandfather and cousin…"

Shadow scowled. "Maybe she didn´t use those exact words. But I am _trying_ to make this story sound good, so leave it alone, okay?"

"Will she do the 'ungrateful humans' speech next?"

"Shaddap."

X--X

"He was the best student his school had ever seen. His family was a broken one –"

X--X

"Yeah, he probably broke it."

"Sonic, I´m warning you. _Don´t_ make me go Dark Story Path on your sorry butt!"

X--X

…Brutus an alcoholic and his mother vanishing for months at a time – but this didn´t seem to concern him one bit. The only thing they mentioned in his school records is him being 'cynical at times'."

She snorted, a very unusual sound for her, as if a part of her cousin´s personality had suddenly infected her mind just via the narration. When she continued, though, her voice just contained sadness.

"As soon as he had finished, the colleges were practically falling over themselves with offers of scholarships for him. He accepted the one in Mobotropolis – specializing in robotics as well as in the creation of artifial intelligence, production of energy and macramé."

She frowned, as if that last detail suddenly didn´t seem to sound right, but carried on regardless.

"His mother had disappeared years ago. But when he on his graduation day returned to his junkyard of a home to tell his father that he was leaving never to return, there was a terrible row. Brutus was drunk again, screaming unspeakable things about his family – and Ivo Robotnik finally found out about his legacy. About his grandfather. About _my_ grandfather.

Barely a legal adult, he went and never came back. My…cousin soon achieved greatness and fame, but could never forgive granddad for what he did – abandoning his grandmother and leaving Brutus to grow up into the failure he was. A failure of a father he had had to endure for eighteen years. Eventually abandoning _him_, Ivo himself, never coming to look for his grandson and be impressed by his achievements. He was torn between the admiration for this greatest scientist of his time and a desire for revenge.

So he decided to show the world what he thought about that. Especially as he got to know that our grandfather, at fifty-two by then, meanwhile had met another woman. To make matters worse, he had fathered a child with her, this time actually marrying and staying to raise his second son. That was my father Colin, and Brutus´ half-brother."

X--X

"What the hell are you doing?"

Sonic looked up from the huge white paper he was kneeling upon and shot him an almost accusatory glance.

"Drawing up a family tree to avoid confusion. Next time you want to tell a soap opera like that, you should provide pencils."

X--X

"My family´s only guess was that he strove for appreciation and respect but it all went terribly wrong…He was a sought-after genius in his his chosen field of robotics, but nobody really knew what was going on inside his mind. And then after a few years, Brutus died and Ivo just…disappeared."

ooo

Midnight had passed and still it was getting darker outside, the twilight of the first moonrise vanishing and leaving the coal-black sky bare of any vestiges of reflected sun. Stars that had shone at first were now being eclipsed by the storm clouds that seemed to have returned with new vigour.

Shadow looked at Sonic who was still cuddled up on the couch. But the small twinkle in his eyes that had slowly appeared as his black look-alike delved deeper into his story was no longer there. The hedgehog sitting opposite him could well be the broken, shattered hero he had found there at his arrival – all traces of smiling gone, his jaw had set and the emerald in his unseeing gaze was no longer sparkling but dulled from pain of memory.

The Ultimate Lifeform cursed himself for bringing Ivo Robotnik up at all – he should have _known_ that Sonic would not take this too well!

But the memories of Maria and her crumpled frame in that blasted canteen booth as she confessed the terrible sin grown within her family had been too vivid not to tell.

Sonic let out a ragged breath and bared his teeth for a second, obviously too caught up in the images of his own past to even acknowledge the presence of the other hedgehog anymore.

It could not possibly get worse. But maybe the second part of the family history would make things better…

Shadow cleared his throat and started his tale again.

Looking at the sky, one could impossibly tell whether the stars would shine this night once more or if the oncoming storm would all but extinguish them.

ooo

"I read about it in the Internet, when I was alone in the computer room," Maria told her story, "There´s not much known about that time, only superstitions and rumours. What´s a fact is that he went down to the South Islands…but since that part of the planet is nearly completely bare of humans and only feral animals and sapients like you live there who don´t have much contact to the other part of the world, nobody knows for sure what was happening.

There are sick-making stories, though…people claim that he perfected a device to draw energy from living beings. They say he trapped animals, ferals and sapients alike to use them in his robots…trying to build up an army, practice in this remote area and then to finally launch an attack at GUN to take over the entire _world_."

Most of the other staff of the ARK had already left and got back to work. Save for a few stragglers, the cleaning crew and Nate, the cafeteria was deserted.  
Shadow didn´t notice any of this, however, his eyes wide with fascination for his friend´s story and his tail wiggling with suspense. He stopped fidgeting with one of the loose gloves he wore and urged her to continue.

"But it didn´t work out…" she trailed off again and a slight smile crept upon her lips,

"…because there rose a hero."

(cue Zelda music) 

_To be continued..._

* * *

**whew. Finally. I could explain the timeline. I think it´s rather confusing reading it like this, though, so here´s a brief summary:**

Gerald Robotnik had two sons (Brutus and Colin) with two women , one at the age of 17, another when 42.

Brutus fathered Eggman when 17, thus making the age difference between Gerald and Ivo 34 years. In this story, Gerald now is in his late 80s, Eggman past 50.

Brutus died when Eggman was around 20, leaving him an orphan.

Colin had Maria when he was in his mid-thirties, making her approx. 13 at the time of this narration.

**I had had the idea of giving you Sonic´s picture of a family tree but soon found out that drawing is probably the one discipline he´s worse at than swimming.**

I also realize than I am all but obliterating the women in this family history (they haven´t even got _names,_ for heaven´s sake!), but the 'Robotnik-gene' seems to have been on the Y-chromosome up until now and the history of the clan has not been influenced by females...that is, until Maria came along. ;)

**Next up: Happy Memories - The wish of a cub**


	17. Why be a hero?

**Chapter 17: Why be a Hero?**

X--X

"Shadow, stop retching. It´s not gonna make you feel better. And besides, you´re ruining my carpet."

"I…I had to call you 'hero'! That is…that is so _demeaning…" _

"Get over it, you ultimate starbreeze. You know I am awesome. And besides, it was Maria who said it, not you."

"But I had to _repeat_ it! Oh, the agony…"

X--X

The smile that had lit up Maria´s face then suddenly turned bitter, her child-like dreamish expression replaced with one of coldness.

"Maybe you can call it ironic. Ivo waged terrible war upon that land of untamed nature, destroying beauty and wilderness in his pursuit of dominance. And the sapients, creatures who had never fought a real war, fled. Fled to the haven where they hoped they would be safe…fled to the other side of the planet, where humans lived and GUN ruled. So, in a way, it was _he_ who led our two kinds to intermingle - " _– in a way it was he who inspired my grandfather to even think of creating an anthropomorph like you._

She paused, as if she had suddenly remembered something important that now weighed heavily on her. Shadow, kneeling on the table, had already knocked three or more of the still filled bowls over the edge (and thus attracted the wrath of the rather medusa-like cleaning woman) but was unable to sit still during his friend´s tale.

"And then? What happened next?" His quills were positively bouncing with exitement and Maria, unable to suppress a chuckle at this sight, felt somewhat lighter and continued.

"He made that part of the world his own. Fugitive sapients kept pouring into our cities and brought with them new knowledge, culture, and ideas that would lead to incredible developments in years to come.

"However, not all could flee. He captured a lot.

Tales the survivors and escapees of his crazed experiments told were too awful to repeat. Tubes sucking the life out of you, draining your energy…" she shuddered, unable to continue at this and chose another topic. Shadow´s ears had flattened against his skull at this but he was too fascinated to ask Maria to stop.

"But, as I said…not all fled. Not everyone was captured. Someone stood up against him."

ooo

During the last few minutes, Sonic´s head had slowly turned around to face Shadow again, but his eyes were narrowed to slits.

"If you´re trying to turn me into some kind of tragic romantic hero, it´s not gonna work. There´s nothing left in me that could respond to that. Get it, _experiment_?"

A lightning bolt struck the earth outside, briefly casting jagged shadows on the broken hedgehog's face. 

Shadow, his face carefully blank, merely shrugged. "I´m not trying to turn you into anything. All you can turn into should be already inside you." 

_Maybe you just need some help digging it out again. _

Sonic just responded with an ugly snarl and looked away. Shadow, however, didn´t fail to notice that one traitorous blue ear was still turned towards him, slowly opening up.

ooo

"Who was it? Who did stand up?"

She smiled again and looked out the window.

"Nobody really knows, at least from what it said in the Internet. Nobody would venture out into the enslaved Zones and dare to have a look. And the only thing the satellite cameras could pick up…" Maria frowned suddenly and gave the black hedgehog next to her a strange, searching look – "…was a blue blur…"

She shook her head as if denying an unasked question and continued more normally.

"This unnamed hero defeated my cousin in every single Zone you name. It started in Green Hill…recovery teams later only discovered the wreckage of robots and some destroyed prison capsules. Something had torn through them with incredible force and speed. Sometimes, though, there was also blood…whoever had been saving the sapients had also been wounded in the process – and nobody knew how bad."

"Oh…" Shadow´s flared quills deflated slightly as he understood what that meant. "Why be a hero, then?"

Maria´s lips curved upward as she looked at her smaller companion, but her eyes seemed to be focused on something far away.

"…why be a hero…"

ooo

_Why be a hero?_

Sonic still continued glaring into the darkness, his heart raging with the hatred for the one who had ruined his life, who had forced Tails into the horrible decision…

…but those words, this simple question seemed to have opened a door in his mind and memories started pouring through – memories he had shut away because they reminded him of a happier time all those years ago. Shadow and the room vanished and he found himself in another world where time seemed to have stood still...

ooo

"Sonic! Watch out!"

"Woah!" The azure hedgehog jumped backwards to avoid a terrifying splash of water as a small, two-tailed fox-bomb landed in the pool next to him, causing a minor tsunami.

"Pretty cool we found this outdoor bath here, huh, Sonic?"

"Yeah…completely awesome…" The one being addressed confirmed, although the expression on his face seemed more appropriate for a hypochondriac who had just been asked whether he wanted to spend his vacation at a leper colony.

His orange-furred (and soaked) companion just laughed at this and continued happily swashing about in the water as the sun´s rays glistened on the tiny waves he caused.

"You don´t know what you´re missing, big bro!"

"I sure as heck _do_." The hedgehog replied and stalked over to a comfortable-looking garden chair, settling for just watching and trying to relax his tensed muscles in the warm sunshine of the late afternoon. It had just been this morning that they had defeated the Doctor in this Zone and driven him away – before discovering that the entire area had apparently long been abandoned by its inhabitants, leaving a lot of empty houses and stores that could serve Sonic and Tails as sources for replenishments and shelter for the night.

To the little fox´ delight and the hedgehog´s horror, one of the houses also had a swimming pool. Which meant that the stubborn cub would not leave before not at least a few hours had been spent exploring every possibility to have fun in the water.

…_dunking_ not excluded.

All thoughts of traitorous little brothers far from his mind, Sonic, however, continued dozing peacefully in his chair. He was happy about every small enjoyment that he could enable his younger companion. The gods knew that there hadn´t been much of that ever since the blue hedgehog had managed to rescue him two years ago from the burning ruins of a house in which his parents had died…a house destroyed in another attack by Robotnik.

Tails had clung to him ever since, and, as headstrong as he was, tagged along with him, regardless of Sonic´s attempts to convince him to stay at a safer place.  
The hedgehog still wondered where all that fierce determination was coming from, but admitted that the flying fox had indeed already been helping him somewhat.

He sighed, contemplating again whether it wouldn´t be better to abandon the whole guerilla war against the crazed scientist altogether. Let someone else lay their life on the line; he and Tails should not have to risk theirs.  
Stretching, Sonic shifted into a more comfortable position to take a well-deserved nap.

And suddenly, the coiled snake struck.

Or rather, the drenched and dripping fox cub shoved the unsuspecting hedgehog into the water, chair and all.

"Hyaaaaaaaaaaa!"

"I managed to sneak up on you! You never heard a thing!"

Thrash. Scream. Splash. Screamscream.

"You should have _seen_ your face, Sonic! Your eyes were sooo big!"

"Tails, _help!" _

"Huh?" Noticing the real fear in his friend´s voice, the kitsune dashed over to edge of the pool. The hedgehog was flailing around in panic in the deeper part where Tails had pushed him into, apparently honestly scared out of his mind.

"I can´t _swim!" _Splash. Gurgle. Thrash. Mild profanity.

"Oh! Sorry, Sonic!" Tails was in the air immediately, hovering over his older brother and grabbing both of the outstretched arms, pulling the twitching bundle of spikes into safety.

"Man! Don´t _ever_ do that again!" Sonic panted, trembling at the border of the pool on all fours.

"I´m _really_ sorry…I didn´t know that!" the fox´ ears drooped, as he realized how shaken the hedgehog really was. He bit his lip and shuffled his feet, the two tails nervously twining around each other. "Are you very mad at me?"

Sitting up, Sonic looked at the cub, the perfect picture of a heartbroken little angel, who had just unleashed a lightning bolt by mistake. He sighed and grinned, trying to reel in his oversized fear of water.

"Naaah. Just ordinary mad."

The kitsune´s ears perked up ever so slightly. "You´re not going to yell at me?"

"Tails, I almost never yell at you. And this time you really couldn´t know."

He hugged the fox cub, trying to show him that he meant it. After a few moments of hesitation, Tails hugged back, burying his wet face in Sonic´s equally soaked fur, visibly relaxing in the embrace.

"I´m so glad to have you as a bigger brother, Sonic." He mumbled.

Releasing him, Sonic brushed the orange slick bangs out of the kitsune´s eyes and winked at him. "Yeah, I´m happy to have you, too."

Suddenly, the ears of the two-tailed fox shot up and he looked at the hedgehog with bright, shining eyes, as if he had just remembered something very important.

"And I also managed to _save_ you, Sonic! For the first time _ever!_"

"Well, Tails, technically it doesn´t count as actual _saving_ when you have to near-drown your friend first before you can do it–"

"Nuh-huh, it _does_ too!" Both tails now wriggling with exitement, he continued even more proudly: "That´s what I always wanted, Sonic! Ever since _you_ saved _me_!"

Sonic shook his head, grinning. "Oh, man…"

"And heroes save people, right? That means I´m a hero now, too!"

_Heroes save people…_

Sonic felt that thought sink in. He had already rescued a lot of others, that was true. So he was a hero now? Somehow that felt…

"…and maybe tomorrow, I´ll save you _again!_"

"Huh? Oh, nonono, Tails. I don´t know whether I´d survive that."

Now it was the cub´s turn to be confused and he looked at Sonic with huge, wondering eyes.

"Wha? You don´t want me to save you?"

"I sure do, Tails, but only when it´s necessary. You know, real heroes don´t put people in danger first before saving them, okay?"

"Oh…" understanding dawned on the young fox and he quickly nodded. "Sure! But when you _are_ in danger, then I can do it! And _then_ I´ll be a true hero…"

A far-away expression settled on his features as he continued, "I´ve always wanted to be one. I think saving a life makes you the happiest mobian ever. Because that´s why you become a hero, right? Because you can save the most precious thing there is."

Sonic was stunned for the moment at this declaration and Tails took the advantage offered to fling his arms once again around the hedgehog, blissfully closing his eyes as he pressed his cheek against his idol´s belly, "I´d even _die_ to save you and it would make me happy."

ooo

The images started to fade away and left a very befuddled hedgehog behind. He had tried to shove everything concerning Tails away in his mind…all but what he could not erase, those final moments that still tormented him. He had not wished to look at those earlier memories anymore, even when it was clear that there was no escape from the past either way. But now they were oddly…comforting? Tails had died saving him…was this what he had wanted?

Somehow, if his little brother had left the world at peace with himself, that would make things easier to bear…if only Sonic could remember more of those lost years that he had willingly cut himself off from in despair!

Shadow had noticed Sonic zoning out earlier and quietly left the parlours to search for the bathroom. When he returned, he observed a change in Sonic´s expression with satisfaction. The grim lines around the blue hedgehog´s mouth had softened and his eyes were slightly sparkling again…maybe from moisture? He sat down and looked at his counterpart.

"Well?"

"I…just remembered something important, I think."

The black hedgehog merely raised an eye ridge in response and crossed his arms in front of his chest as if waiting for something.

"…yeah. I think you can continue now. Sorry for calling you…you know." Sonic shuffled uncomfortably on the couch and looked away, not unlike Tails in his own memories.

Shadow shrugged. "I´ve been called worse. And I just used your toothbrush, so we should be even."

"…what?!"

"I´ve been telling this story for hours now. Bad breath."

"But my…my…"

"Hey, germ-killer, remember? It´s probably more sanitary now than it was before. So, where was I…?"

Outside, the first star was twinkling.

_To be continued..._

* * *

**There it is, a Sonic segment for everyone who wanted to see him in action again. Not the last we have read of him either, even if Shadow will be allowed to continue for now - he and his guerilla street sign can be rather convincing. **

**The name origins:**

**Edmund Robotnik** - Edmund the Echidna, Archie comics. First guardian of the master emerald, also a scientist. Seemed fitting for the first human to work with chaos emeralds.

**Brutus Robotnik** - Brutus the Trooper. A robot from STC, imprinted with Robotnik´s brain patterns, eventually turning on his creator. Very strong, but defeated by Sonic because he was, after all, a robot and not truly intelligent. Seemed good as the start of the downfall of the Robotnik line.

**Colin Robotnik** - Colin Kintobor, Archie comics. He is REALLY Robotnik´s brother, but a nice guy. Unfortunately roboticized by now. Father of Snively and in that case _I´d_ be glad to be roboticized.

**Skipping over that, I hope you liked the chapter and if you read, please review:) **

**Next up: Painful Truths and Vicious Lies - Vincent makes his move.**


	18. A Painful Truth

Author´s note: I usually give out individual review replies (or reply in the review section to anonymous ones) but since quite a few people have asked, here´s an extra explanation for those who didn´t comment but might still have been confused:

Timelines. This fic is slightly AU. Eggman and Gerald exist during the same time and the story Shadow tells only happened a few years ago to the present where Sonic is driving poor Shads up the walls. Thus, Shadow has been created after the time of Sonic´s birth, here. Physically they should be about the same age (since his body was grown when he wasn´t yet awake) but Shadow actually hasn´t lived all that long (just think Shadow minus the fifty years frozen). The catastrophe at ARK only happened six months or so ago.

(thinks) I hope I haven´t just made things worse...

* * *

**Chapter 18: Painful Truths **

_Why be a hero?_**  
**

„I don´t think there´s a single answer, Shadow." Maria finally said. "Some people just..feel it. Or maybe…" she winked, "…maybe it´s something you only find out when you´re a hero yourself."

"That´s stupid. You should know beforehand." The black hedgehog scowled.

"Well, that´s life, my little padawan. You never know what´s going to happen next."

Maria smiled and made to reach over to one of the bowls that had survived earthquake Shadow as her face suddenly contorted and she gave a violent sneeze, going pale and doubling over.

The few people still in the room looked up, their expressions horrified. Nate was the first to regain his speech. "Quick, someone call for the hospital sector! It´s Maria!"

His assistant raced over to the speaker embedded in the wall and dialled a number, speaking into it with a slight panicky edge to his voice. Shadow, however, was too focused on his friend to understand anything that was said.

"Maria! What is happening?!"

"Shadow…it´s okay…nothing´s wrong…" she tried to soothe the upset hedgehog but then sneezed again and shuddered. Nate was hurrying towards them but for some strange reason still kept at a distance and tried to reassure them from afar, his voice only slightly trembling. "Maria, don´t worry. We´ve called the doctors. They´ll be here any minute now and everything will be okay."

He had barely finished his sentence as the doors slid apart and two white-coated men with masks over their faces and gloves on their hands entered. They strode quickly over to their little booth and waved the elderly cook away. Both shot curious glances at the black creature kneeling next to Maria´s head on the table, but concentrated on their work instead of asking questions. They gently seized the girl, who was now breathing shallow and rapidly and lowered her on the stretcher they´d brought.

"Maria! Please talk to me! What´s wrong? What´s going on?!" Shadow was in a near-panic as nobody paid him any attention.

Only one of the men glanced up at this, eyeing the creature before him wide-eyed, but his colleague, obviously older by judging from the wrinkles around his eyes, cuffed him on the shoulder, intent on keeping the younger focused on the girl. Absentmindedly, he waved a hand at Shadow.

"Shoo."

The hedgehog was confused.

"No, 'Sha - dow."

Nate sighed and took the hand of the Ultimate Lifeform, pulling him away from the doctors who were now checking for the pulse and her breath while carrying his friend away.

"Maria!" Desperately, Shadow strained against the grip of the cook and tried to follow, but the afro-American didn´t budge. Admittedly, Nate had to brace both his feet against the floor, surprised at the experiment´s strength, but for now the hedgehog was still no match for a full-grown man.

"Maria! Let me go!" Shadow had turned around to face his captor, now a pleading note in his voice.

"Hey…Shadow, wasn´t it? You can´t go. They need to examine her. Maria could have caught something and she needs to be in absolute isolation until they know what it is so they can cure her."

"But _I´m_ supposed to cure her!" His bare feet were now scraping across the ground as the door closed, cutting him off from the person that mattered the most to him.

"Oh, so that´s what you do, huh? Well, I think it might still be a while, Shadow. For now, you need to hang in there, though. Maria is very fragile, so you need to be strong for her, okay?" He tried to smile to cheer the hedgehog up, but the Ultimate Lifeform only looked at him morosely.

"Well, I have to get back to the kitchen. Why don't you and Maria drop by here again as soon as she´s better?" He glanced at their table and the still filled bowls. "Especially since you haven´t exactly _eaten_ anything today."

"Mmh."

"Don´t give up, Shadow." He patted the experiment on the head and left for the silver door behind the counter.

ooo

"Can I pat you on the head, too?" Sonic asked, giving a weak grin.

"Try it and I´ll take your arm off." Shadow retorted acidly, although he was secretly relieved that at least a part of Sonic´s humour seemed to have returned. Not enough to repair the damage that damned Ivo Robotnik thing had caused, but it was another beginning.

His younger self´s mood in the story, however, was a different matter altogether.

ooo

Shadow was crushed at being left so utterly alone and frightened for his friend. He looked around the now empty hall and felt the same way inside. He was supposed to heal Maria and now she had got sick while in his presence. And Professor Gerald had always told him that it was so incredibly dangerous for her!

Hanging his head and clenching his fists, the black hedgehog slowly walked out of the dining room, his spines giving the impression of drooping even if that wasn´t actually possible.

Shadow had just decided to walk back to the laboratory and hide under his blanket, when something blocked his path and he, still staring at the floor and his feet, crashed right into it.  
Thrown off balance, the young hedgehog inevitably stumbled as always and finally completely fell as something tripped his foot and sent him sprawling onto the floor.

"Pathetic."

Shadow actually had just wanted to curl up, but that remark made him curious and he looked upwards.  
Looming over him, smirking with contempt in his bi-coloured eyes, stood Vincent.

The boy must have obviously noted the incomprehending glance in the the hedgehog´s eyes, for he then clarified:  
"You. _You_ are pathetic, creature." He sneered as Shadow´s expression changed into one of hurt. "Yes, you are. I can hardly believe what everyone sees in you. You´ll be a failure like all the other ones before."

Shadow had not known that words could hurt as much as falling down from a balancing bar, yet what the General´s son was snarling at him somehow caused a pain the black hedgehog had not experienced before. Sure, Gerald had sometimes been angry with him, and he had sensed that a few of the scientists who performed the tests didn´t like him that much, but noone had yet demonstrated outright hatred.

A few words, however, stuck out of the painful haze. Words that didn´t make sense, and like all children Shadow had to ask when it would have been so much better to run.

"…'before'?"

"Yeah, before, stupid. What do you think where your name comes from?"

"Oh, that. It´s my fur colour. Maria likes it." Thinking of her hurt as well, though, and Shadow quickly shut that thought away.

"Huh? Oh, I get it. You think that´s your _real_ name. But you´re wrong."

The hedgehog looked at him confused and Vincent assumed an air of superiority he had often witnessed on his father.

"Your actual name is UL 2/23. You know that, right?"

"Uh…but Maria says that´s not a name and I should call myself like a real person would ca–"

"Ahhh, Maria. Cute and intelligent, but sometimes mislead. No, you´re UL 2/23. Have you never wondered why?"

"No…" Shadow began to feel uncomfortable in the boy´s presence now. Clearly Vincent was hiding something unpleasant from him.

"Oh, they haven´t told you, have they? " now the General´s son was grinning again and bent down so he was on eye level with the hedgehog.

"Well, creature…it stands for 'Series 2, Version 23'".

As still no understanding dawned on the experiment´s features, he rolled his eyes and continued. "Do I have to explain _everything?!_ You´re an experiment of the second series. In the first series they used lizards, as far as I know, then switched to hedgehogs after most of them had died. You are the 23rd freak mutant they cooked up in there. And what do you think happened to the others, UL 2/22 and 2/21, hmm? What do you think, little UL?"

Shadow had been scrambling backwards as far as he could until his quills pressed in to the wall, but Vincent had just come after him, striding easily, while his face contorted ever more into a horrible mask of hate and gloating as he realized how frightened the little hedgehog really was. The creature was covering its face with its white-gloved hands - as if that could stop a human to get what he wanted.

"I asked you a question, runt. WHAT DO YOU THINK!" He bellowed the last sentence, giving not only a perfect imitation of the General´s tone but also repeating nearly word-for-word phrases that had already been thrown at him. He had felt awful back then, but now it was such a relief to finally use that technique on someone else. Vincent felt great, better than he had for a long time.

The hedgehog stared up at him in fright, his eyes glistening with what the boy hoped would be tears. "Answer me, or else!" He threatened, raising his old and ill-fitting GUN boot as if to stomp on one of the bare feet of the experiment. Power sure was a wonderful feeling. He could understand his father now, better than ever.

"I…I don´t know! Please!"

The boy put his foot down again and crouched in front of the hedgehog instead. UL 2/23 glanced at him from behind its hands. Vincent Graves lowered his voice now and Shadow felt even sicker.

"Well then, I will have to tell you, experiment. Your predecessors…the _earlier versions…_" he loved using computer terminology here. Especially after what his father had told him about the hedgehog this morning, it even seemed so…_appropriate._

He was whispering now, Shadow´s ears straining to pick up the words even if the hedgehog desperately wished to be somewhere else, anywhere but here. He didn´t _want_ to know!

"…wh-what happened to them?"

The next words were hissed, slithering like invisible snakes in the air, winding into his quivering ears and borrowing deep into his brain.

"They were killed...just like you will be killed _soon_..."

Shadow´s form trembled violently, not believing what he was hearing.

"It is true," the menacing voice went on, "have you never seen all those empty tubes? Graves, little UL. The _Graves _are all that will remain when the experiments are gone." Shadow was too frightened to catch the double meaning here, what annoyed Vincent. He had been planning on making this rather witty remark for a whole hour and now it was wasted.

X--X

"You know, that´s one thing I never get."

Shadow scowled. "Are you ever going to shut up?"

Sonic just grinned happily. "Nope."

"Well then, share your precious thoughts with us so that I can finally get back to where I was."

"Hey, who´s the main character here? Anyway, that´s what I never understand: You know, all those brainy villains, they always do that. Use fancy words, make terrible puns and even try to work in literary references in their world domination speeches! Half of the stuff you´d need a bunch of friggin professors to figure them out! I swear, last time Eggman was giving me that, I fell asleep halfway through his rant! Seriously, what do they _do_ in their spare time, read dictionaries for fun? I feel that-"

"Yes, Sonic. But now we will return to actually _interesting_ topics such as my life story. Thank you for your thoughts."

"But-"

"Thank. You."

X--X

"But…but I exist to save Maria…" the name of his friend now seemed to give the wretched creature some of its courage back and it actually managed to glare a little.

"And...and if I have to die for that, then I´d be glad to!"

Vincent´s grin swelled even further. Here came the most beautiful part.

"No, you don´t exist for that."

"I do! Professor Gerald told me so!"

"Old Robotnik is not the only one who has to say something around here. You´ll find about that soon…" he meant to trail of menacingly at this point, but a thought suddenly crossed his mind.

"Hey, where _is_ Maria actually?"

Shadow´s voice nearly broke at that part.  
"We…we were having breakfast, but suddenly, she…she got sick…"

"A-ha!" General Graves´ son jabbed a finger at the chest of the cringing hedgehog. It stabbed him exactly where Maria had tickled him earlier this morning but the sensation now was cruel and painful.

"You know something? It was you who made her sick. You know that?" It fit so perfectly.

"No…"

"Oh, yes, UL. It was you. And you were not created to save her. You exist to be killed. You´re just an _experiment,"- _he positively spat that word as if it was something disgusting out of a test-tube he had swallowed accidentally, - "worthless. Not something to deserve anything. Cannon fodder, you know? And you don´t need those, by the way." He finished, grabbing hold of Shadow´s flinching but unresisting hands and tearing of his gloves. He threw them away, standing up and sneering again.

"Experiments, projects, soul-less freaks like _you_," he shot at the curled-up bundle, hitting the hedgehog´s essence with every word, "don´t wear clothing. And don´t you _dare_ cry!" he added, "Because you don´t have feelings, either."

Purposefully stepping on the gloves, he walked off, still happy about his little victory right here but already concerned about what the wretch had told him. Maria, sick?  
He doubted the mutant freak had any connection to it – after all, her insanely protective grandfather would have seen to that otherwise – but he was afraid nevertheless. The poor girl, so endangered by any diseases….he started to jog towards the hospital wing, determined to stay at her side, if possible. Even though he wouldn´t mention the talk he´d had with his father, it might just upset her. No. Better to comfort her later when she was finally separated from that blasted creature forever.

xxx

Shadow, meanwhile, had took off into the opposite direction, not seeing anything, just trying to get away from the horrible words. He fell often, scraping his knees and unprotected soft hands in the process but the pain was nothing in comparison to what he felt inside.

It was as if some of the sulphuric acid Gerald handled so often was now dissolving all of his innards until nothing was left, his punctured and hitching lungs unable to draw oxygen from the air anymore. Stumbling and scrambling into the darkness, Shadow was crying his eyes out while the voice of Vincent in his mind claimed that not even those tears existed.

_To be continued..._

* * *

**Well, here is the confrontation between Vincent and Shadow that a few people have asked for. :D Sorry it took so long to fit in. **

**As always, please read and review:)**

**Next up: Compassion - Curse or Blessing?  
**


	19. Compassion

**Chapter 19 : Compassion **

Sonic had felt strange during that last part. Ever since Shadow had started his story, he had been plunged through a roller-coaster of forgotten emotions, each hitting him with the force of a tidal wave as they washed away the walls of ice he had been erecting within himself in the last few months. But now…there was one he had thought to be certain never to experience again.

_Compassion._

Feeling, caring for another person…something that was as much a gift as a curse. He had thought that part of his heart had died forever but it was there, alive and beating. He wouldn´t go near that whole hero thing, but still, it felt so…_good._ Then a new thought occurred to him and he voiced it.

"Shadow, that´s…that´s seriously…I mean, if you don´t want to talk about it, that´s fine, I mean…" he stammered helplessly, at a loss how to express what he really wanted to say.

The black hedgehog, however, didn´t seemed bothered in the least.  
"No, it´s fine. It´s actually quite satisfying tobe able to tell the tale to someone for once. You know, at some stage there even was a chance that I would have lost those memories forever."

"Huh?"

"Later. Can I continue?"

"Sure, sure, it´s just…if it hurts you or anything, I understand…"

His counterpart just gave his sinister trademark smirk. "Really, Sonic. If you think that poor little hedgehog from the story is still as innocent and emotionally defenseless, I would have to disappoint you."  
He leaned back against the hedgehog-proof couch and crossed his arms, muttering almost to himself: "After all, they sure took care of _that._"

ooo

"_What?!"_

Gerald thought he was having a heart attack, but then remembered that that couldn´t possibly help Maria. Instead, he tried to keep his voice steady as he barked into the receiver.  
"What is her status? What does she need? To which sector have you taken her?"

The reply seemed to calm him a little, for he just nodded, then snapped a short "Right" and took off, only stopping to grab a small rectangled packet that had been standing before him on his working bench.  
Hurrying out of his laboratory, he nearly ran into a small obstacle that some nim-wit must have placed in front of his door for an unfathomable reason.

On second glance, the obstacle seemed to have a strangely protruding nose…

"Professor Robotnik!"

Gerald sighed, unwilling to loose even a moment. "Yes, Doctor Snively, what is it this time? Has Shadow rudely commented on the spinach bit between your teeth?"

The small man just gaped at him, mouth (including spinach) opening and closing as if gasping for air. The professor couldn´t help it, there was just something about his colleague that made his rather sarcastic side come out, a part of him that didn´t see the light of day very often. He sighed and tried to remedy the damage, continuing more seriously:

"If that is so, then please let me know, Doctor: I am sure you know that the "difficult second year" would be a sign of the experiment maturing. If he starts to be snippy, we could even watch our project in a teen-age status. Now wouldn´t that be exiting, regarding behaviour studies?"

Snively finally seemed to have gotten his voice back.

"I…you…it…!"

…and wasn´t making more sense than usual.

"What an interesting opinion! I shall be sure to think about it. But now would you excuse me, I really have to look for Maria…" Gerald replied, wondering how on earth the man could have ever have gotten his doctor title. Well, intelligence was sometimes very deeply hidden, he mused. To find Snively´s, you just probably would have to use the drill bits made for the expedition to the earth-core.

"I just spoke to General Graves! And he is not happy! In fact, he´s…"

The tiny scientist shouted, but his superior had already freed himself and was turning around the corner.

"Fine! Don´t listen to me! Build a hedgehog house for all I care, or, or…or tailor him a smoking for his goddamn _wedding_ when you think the time has come! But I talked to Graves and soon you will know just _who_ is in charge here, you old coot!"

He didn´t shout these thoughts as he would have liked, but nevertheless whispered them very threateningly after the retreating form. Oh yes, soon his time would come…

Then he hurried to the bathroom to check that there really was no spinach between his teeth.

xxx

Gerald, unaware of any storm clouds on the horizons (or in front of the mirror in restrooms), just rushed on, arriving at the hospital sector in record time. Panting, he wished he had already invented a teleporter. But he was not very good at mechanics, so he would have to work with his specialty, living things…which were unlikely to warp anything anywhere. His son, Colin, might be able to do it – but unfortunately, although an intelligent man, Colin was no genius like the rest of his family, more adept at inventing clever devices that were incredibly useful in everyday life than making breathtaking innovations (the floor of the canteen being the living proof for it).

Then his own father, Edmund, still eclipsed everything, even if his focus had been more on languages and cultures (later, of course, Chaos energy as well) but even he probably would not have been the right one for a task such as this. In fact, the only Robotnik he could think of being able to invent a geniune matter transporter was…

Before he could finish this thought, however, the door slid open and revealed his granddaughter, lying on a bed, her face as pale and shining as the neon lights. She looked more like a marble carving than ever, but the statues he had seen were never scowling like this.

"No, Vincent, I´m sure it wasn´t Shadow´s fault. I´m really glad that you came to see me but now please tell me where he is, too!"

"Maria, I´m sure they have just taken him away to another experiment…"

"Maria!"

Both kids turned their heads at the sound of the new voice and the boy only hid a frown with difficulty as Gerald intruded on their private time here.  
The old man strode past him and bent over the bed, not yet daring to take his granddaughter´s hand.

"Grandpa." She smiled.

"Maria, I was so worried! Are you alright!"

"Well, the doctors said…but hey, do you know where Shadow is? Are you running a test on him now or something?"

"I think I´ll be leaving, then." Vincent mumbled, not at all liking the direction the conversation was taking. Nobody hindered him as he swiftly crossed the room and went through the hissing door and nobody saw the annoyance in his expression. Even with the hedgehog temporarily unavailable, all she did was asking for it! It seemed as if Vincent would have to take a harder course of action…but that could wait. For now, he would just have to wait how the things already in motion played out. The boy ambled off on the way to the computer room, secure that today he might be able to make some serious progress with his decrypting programme.

xxx

"Shadow?" Gerald repeated, putting the rectangled box on the bed-side table. "No, I have no idea. I thought he was with you."

"What?!" Maria looked really concerned and actually attempted to try and get up, "We have to find him! I´m sure this whole incident left him terribly scared!"

Gently, the old man tried to push her down again. "Maria, my first concern at the moment is you, not my exp-" he stopped himself, not only because of his granddaughter´s immediate scowling at this term but also since he himself somehow didn´t feel like using the word anymore, "…not any young hedgehogs. I´m sure he has run back to the lab and is fine. Try to rest while I ask the doctors about your condition."

He could see the resentful frown form on Maria´s face and made to leave but at that moment the door opened and a nurse stepped in.

"Professor Robotnik, sir, one of your colleagues has asked for Project Shadow. He is wondering because his experiment was scheduled for now and the holding area and your laboratory is empty."

Minutes later, Gerald was cursing the amount of problems that lately seemed to pop up, his own weak physical condition, the irresponsibilty of nowadays doctors, and the pig-headedness of young girls in general, as he and Maria were hurrying along corridors, she shouting Shadow´s name while he was just busy panting.

He had avoided telling anyone of the hedgehog´s disappearance since that would likely cause some commotion and maybe even raise questions of the safety measures regarding the Ultimate Lifeform. He didn´t want to see Shadow imprisoned and therefore had just told the nurse that he would be collecting UL 2/23 soon, vaguely apologizing that one of his tests was unfortunately taking longer than expected.

That was also the sole reason why he had Maria, now clad in a hurriedly donned white hospital gown instead of her usual sky-blue dress,

X--X

Sonic rolled his eyes. "Really, Shadow. Why don´t you tell us the colour and material of her hair ribbons, while you´re about it?"

"Sonic…"

"I mean, that 'marble carving' comment before was already pushing it and I didn´t say anything, but that´s a real obsession you´ve got there and if you ask me, I-"

"Chaos. Spear."

X--X

That was also the sole reason why he had Maria, who was now clad in a hurriedly donned white hospital gown instead of her usual sky-blue dress, her feet flying along in equally white sneakers with desinfectant in-soles, the shoelaces only tied half-way, while the primrose hair was fluttering wildly behind her and it was held together with an azure headband not ribbons, just for your information, Sonic, the golden bracelet she wore on her left hand jingling,

X--X

"I get it, I get it. You can always make it worse." Sonic sighed and Shadow smirked.

"Still, your infatuation with that girl is not healthy." (the blue hedgehog hedgehog here looked pointedly at his Speared living room), "You always get _so_ defensive about her. I mean, it´s not like as if she was the most important person in the world or someth-"

"Chaos. Sp-"

"_Okayokayokay_! She was. Is. Whatever." He relented, giving in. "Just try to contain yourself a little, right? Otherwise, with those kind of descriptions it won´t be GUN soldiers but Mary-Sue hunters shooting at her…"

X--X

That was also the sole reason why he had Maria, now clad in a hurriedly donned white hospital gown instead of her usual sky-blue dress, allowed to tag along; if he really was to search the entire sector of the ARK where Shadow had last been seen, he needed all the help he could get. Furthermore, while his granddaughter was neither strong nor very enduring, she was nevertheless a very speedy runner and nimble enough to look in any small spaces where the hedgehog might be hiding, making her a great help in the quest of finding her small ebon friend.

_Really, playing with Shadow seems to have increased her energy not unimpressively…_wondered the professor as they were preparing to look through every likely and unlikely hiding spot in yet another laboratory.

But as it turned out, they didn´t have to look very carefully at all.

xxx

Shadow had been running away blindly, not caring where his feet took him. As he finally stopped and knelt to catch his breath he didn´t know his surroundings in the least. The Ultimate Lifeform uprighted himself with the help of a wall and jumped as he suddenly heard a menacing hiss beside him. The hedgehog made to stumble away again, fearing yet another encounter with a horrible human voice, but then relaxed as he recognized the source of the sound.

It was nothing alive; just a door that had opened upon his touching the button at its side. He squinted into the darkness that presented itself to him, then stepped through the entrance. He didn´t know what the room held, but in it there was even less light than in the corridor; and right now, all he wished for was melting into the shadows, just like on the day he had received his fake name. Unlike then, however, he wanted never to emerge again.

ooo

"Huh. Dramatic." Sonic said, with a small smile. "Maybe you should try to take that up as a profession."

"Thank you." His black counterpart replied, although his face remained serious. "But as you very well know, Sonic, there´s just one calling for people like us. And it doesn´t involve telling stories."

_Just on special occasions,_ he added mentally, permitting himself just a small twitching of his lips.

"Hm." Sonic commented vaguely, the expression on his face unreadable.

Was Shadow referring to the whole hero thing again? Was he right? The bereaved blue hedgehog still wasn´t sure what to think about that, but right now he felt a little better again, due to the fact that he could understand the wish for disappearance of the hedgehog in the story exactly.

Suffering shared meant suffering halved, right?

ooo

Shadow managed to calm down a little as the silence and blackness enveloped him like a protective cloak. He raised himself from where he had been sitting against the wall next to the door and took a look around. Maybe he could find out where he was?

His eyes, more adaptive to the dark than a human´s – when Gerald said 'Ultimate' he meant it – widened their pupils and the hedgehog slowly started to recognize shapes in the gloom…

The room wasn´t as big as the others. It was a laboratory, as were most of the chambers in the civilian´s half of the ship, but it didn´t look as if it had been used recently. Dust had collected upon some of the floor and one wall panel had been removed, tools strewn across the space in front of it, but apparently the deserted lab wasn´t even deemed worthy of repairs any more, since the damaged wiring was still exposed behind it, fizzing quietly.

Shadow felt desolately that this room was oddly fitting for him.

He explored further, and thoughts began to swirl around in his head as he stepped through the darkness. Was…was he really just an experiment, as easily replaceable as a ripped cable? Not really a living being, worth something, like, like…Maria? His bare hands gripped his arms tighter as he fought not to believe that.

Maybe Vincent had been lying, maybe the boy had just misunderstood something…but he had seemed so _certain…_

The ebon hedgehog, tormented by doubts, continued his journey through the shadows until it came to an end as he reached the wall on the other side. Lined up against it were the giant, liquid-filled cylinders he already knew, but unlike the ones he´d seen previously, one of these was not empty, but filled…

His stare focused on the floating form inside and he gasped. Shadow could not read the sign above the tube that said 'UL 2/25', but his insides nevertheless felt as if they were cut open by shards of ice as he took in the full sight of the sleeping hedgehog inside the tube, golden markings on black quills gleaming so much brighter than his own.

xxx

"Grandpa! Grandpa, he´s _here!_" came the shrill voice of Maria from the other room, piercing a bent-over Gerald´s ears.

They had split up to search the laboratories on the opposing sides of the corridor and now she was calling to him through the two open doors, panic and relief both riding on her words.

The professor straightened up from where he had been examining the space underneath an operating table and hurried to get over to his granddaughter. Even if she seemed to be the very picture of rosy-cheeked youth at the moment, he was still worried about her condition in general and didn´t like the thought of her being alone.

Maria had seen the slumped, curled-up body of her friend on the cold steel floor the minute she had switched on the light. But only now, when she had raced over and dropped to her knees beside him did she notice in what condition the hedgehog really was.

"Hey, it´s okay. I´m fine, you don´t have to worry, I´m right here, see? Oh please, look at me, just look at me and open your eyes…"

Shadow was barely responding to her pleading voice, only trembled more violently as she touched him, drawing into an ever smaller ball. Still uncomprehending, she discovered with a small shock that the fur under his eyes and even the batch of white on his chest she loved so much seemed to be stained with tears and smears of dust.

Trying to soothe the hedgehog in her arms, she then gazed upwards and her eyes widened in sudden horrible understanding.

"GRANDPA!"

_Uh-oh,_ Gerald thought.

_To be continued..._

* * *

**Thanks for all your comments and opinions! ** **The following mini scene is picking up ****on ****one of the points I´m not so sure about anymore...if you have any thoughts about it, why not share?:) **

X--X

"Emotional anguish from the last Shadow-part aside, though –"

"You´re just jealous I´m stealing your spotlight of pity, faker." Said black hedgehog interrupted coolly, his voice serious and IC this time.

"Shut it, Shads. What I was going to say was –"

"…that you have actually asked an interesting question last time. For once."

"My questions are always interesting. And it´s about: Who´s actually the main character here? Me or - "

"…me." The Ultimate Lifeform finished, not bothering to mask in his face what he thought the answer was. "I have the biggest role here. You are obviously the side-kick."

"Yeah, right, you spin-off hog. I have the frame story and it´s _my_ character development that´s driving the plot. Beat that." Sonic grinned, then added,

"…_without_ violence. Put that gun away now."

Shadow did so and shrugged, his gaze bored as his blue counterpart finished his address.

"So we would like to ask _you_, dear readers. Who is the main character? You decide, please tell us. We will address your opinions in the next installment of 'Sonic-grams.'"

"Shadow-grams."

"Whatever."

* * *

**Hope you liked it, and if you read, please review :) (although I think Vincent has read a few of the comments and is currently in hiding...oh dear.) Updates should continue to be regular, although I apologize if they´re a bit later than usual, the new SatsR story is taking some time up as well. Thank you for reading. :)  
**

**Next up: Chaos Energy - Not For Hedgehogs Under Three Years Of Age  
**


	20. Chaos Energy

X--X

"Sonic..."

"Still _not_ talking to you."

"Faker, you asked for it. Don´t try to pin this on me. The readers decided."

"Yeah, but I didn´t know they´d decide like _this_!" The blue hedgehog threw his hands in the air exasperated, and resumed pouting at the wall, the table, the vase, his left shoe, and everything but Shadow in general.

Shadow smirked. "I _am_ the Ultimate, after all. Brave-hearted hero, Black-hearted evil and the whole shtick."

"Quote any more of your stupid game lyrics and this is gonna end in a bloodbath." His blue counterpart was glaring not daggers today, but broadswords.

"Why not? They´re better than your follow-the-rainbow stuff. Anyway," he once more turned to the audience, "Dear readers, I´d say something friendly, but you´re not Maria. Still, I welcome you to this new edition of _Shadow-grams_,"

– he stretched the name, flashing his canines, seemingly oblivious to Sonic banging his head against the table in the background –

"and I am glad that you, unlike my unfortunately delusional companion, are able to see _reason_, at least. Well. Apart from that strange person who thought 'Sonic-grams' sounded better."

"I like her already." Sonic grumbled, not knowing whether his head or ego was now sporting the bigger bruise.

"Time to resume our story. Due to your response, our names have also been reversed in the title line." He pointed at the ceiling above the Fourth Wall, and, turning to Sonic, added: "You know…hadn´t one reviewer taken pity on you, (fangirls, these days), you wouldn´t even be mentioned anymore."

"Shut up."

"But now, _I_, the _main character_, will continue the story."

"Shut up."

"_My_ story."

"Just GET ON WITH IT!"

Shadow´s eyes were by now gleaming as if Santa had brought extra ammunition. Ever since those bastards had given _Secret Rings_ so much better ratings than his own game, he had been SO waiting for this.

* * *

**Chapter 20: Chaos Energy**

Gerald, who had paused at the doorframe to try and steady his breathing, winced as his granddaughter called again. This time, though, there was none of the panic or fear he had heard previously in her voice, but a healthy portion of fury. Wondering why on earth little girls sometimes could sound as threatening as their grandmothers in their prime, he finally let go of the metal wall and entered the laboratory. He then walked towards Maria who still cradled Shadow, the green light of the tube above them casting its unnatural glow over the pair while his other creation still floated in limbo, oblivious to the drama in front of its closed eyes.

"Grandpa!" She repeated again, not as loud this time but her tone had lost nothing of its edge, "How could you let these, these…_others_ still floating around for Shadow to find?! Look what you did to him!"

"Look, Maria, how should I have known that he would ever actually _see_ them? You need to understand that I am a _scientist._ I am bound to have my experiments stored somewhere and this laboratory has already been abandoned for some time."

"Understand? _Understand?!_ Grandpa, Shadow´s been _crying _because of you!"

"Crying?" Gerald raised his eyebrows. Shadow surprised him every day, the professor would never have thought that he was capable of such _deep_ feelings…suddenly he really felt rather guilty.

"Well…" he hesitated awkwardly, then just settled for: "Please let me have a look at him." The old man got down with some difficulty and gingerly extended a hand to stroke the quivering hedgehog. It took him by surprise how much it hurt as Shadow just flinched at his touch and squirmed.

"He…he needs liquid. The tears…his lips are much too dry…" Gerald trailed off tonelessly and stood up to walk over to a sink in the corner.

Maria felt a little sympathy for her grandfather at this and continued in a more consiliatory manner:

"But…why? Why did you even create another hedgehog after we had Shadow? It doesn´t make sense!"

With his back towards her, Gerald smiled ruefully as he filled a test tube – drinking glasses were somewhat rare in this lab – at the tab. A great scientific mind she might have already, but there were still a lot of things she had to learn.

"Well, Maria…after Shadow was finally the first of my successes, of course I couldn´t risk losing everything I had achieved in case he…in case he…" looking at her face, he suddenly could not bear to finish the sentence. But he didn´t need to.

"…g-gets k-ki-killed. You w-will kill m-me."

Maria gasped as Shadow uttered his first choking words since she had found him.  
Snatching the water-filled test-tube away from Gerald, she hurried to try to reassure the shivering bundle in her arms.

"Here, drink this, Shadow, you´re not making sense, grandpa says you´re running low on water. Nobody will do anything to you, Shadow, please believe me!"

He did not resist as she put the make-shift glass to his lips and forced him to swallow by pouring the liquid down his throat. In fact, he felt even slightly better afterwards and his brain appeared to be able to think clearer. Nevertheless, that couldn´t help the cold metal bands that still seemed to be wrapped around his lungs and were hurting him, their sharp edges cutting deep into the inner soft tissue whenever he breathed.

"I- I am just one of ma-many. Ca-cannon fudge."

Maria had to suppress a smile at this mix-up of words but then glared angrily at Gerald.

"'Cannon fodder'?! Where has he picked up that rubbish? Just what have you been telling him?!"

Her grandfather shrugged helplessly. "I can´t recall ever mentioning anything that even goes remotely in that direction." In fact, he thought he had probably even subconsciously shielded Shadow from most of that, not wishing to depress the hedgehog with the fact that some of his colleagues didn´t see much more in him than that.

The girl hugged the wretched-looking hedgehog. " Oh, Shadow…don´t ever believe anything like that. You are unique and we love you. Never let anyone tell you different."

ooo

"Should I get Amy? Usually these hurt-and-comfort stories are more her kind of thing."

Shadow just glared coolly, but was already resigned to the fact that annoying commentaries seemed to indicate a recuperating Sonic and were therefore a good sign. Furthermore, it was the first time the blue hedgehog had mentioned the name of one of his friends, so if that meant he was slowly returning to his old self, Shadow thought he could stand the interruptions.

"And if you feel ever bad, just tell me; I´ll give you a hug, because you are unique and I love you."

_Then again_, the midnight hedgehog thought as his fingernails threatened to leave marks in the armrests they were clenching, _even your current patient status only protects you from Chaos Blast for a given amount of time._

ooo

Shadow looked away from Maria, not returning her embrace. What she had said was approximately along the lines of what he had thought before and going down that same lane again would simply be too painful.

"N-no. My pre…predec..precessor-things are already killed. I will be next, I kno-know now."

"Do you mean 'pre_de_cessors'? Shadow, _just who have you been talking to?!" _the panic in her voice was now back and she took the spiked head into her hands, staring into his eyes while trying to keep the tears out of hers.

"V-Vincent. He told me the truth. I am just an 'experiment'." Shadow had often before called himself like that, but it seemed as if only now he had understood what it really meant. Now as he pronounced it, there was so much sadness imminent in the word, it nearly broke Maria´s heart. Even Gerald (who still wanted to discuss the 'we' in the love-you-part of Maria´s sentence) felt himself moved.

"Vincent. I´m going to kill him." She said absent-mindedly, then locked eyes with Shadow again. "You are worth ten of Vincent´s kind. Hundreds, even. You´re irreplaceabl_e_ and nobody is going to kill you. _Right,_ grandfather?" She added, the tone she used for those last two words rather harsh compared to the tenderness previously.

Gerald smiled sadly. "Indeed. Addressing a still morose Shadow, he added: "You can believe her, you know. After you survived, I tried to clone you, to make another Ultimate Lifeform – now don´t you look at me that way Maria, I´ll get nightmares and besides, he deserves to know the truth – but as it turned out, that was impossible."

As the crimson-streaked hedgehog raised his head in slight surprise, the moustachioed scientist continued: "I took tissue from you and grew another hedgehog from it. It differed only slightly, but I thought it would be similar enough. However, UL 2/24 never survived its awakening. Also, like this one over here," he said, indicating the glass tube over both of them, "the quills were turned down."

ooo

"Now will you stop linking down-turned quills to scientific failures! This is getting racist!"

Shadow smirked. "Face it, Sonic, that´s the facts."

The other hedgehog pouted slightly. "You´re just jealous. I look so much cooler than you anyway."

Shadow just smirked even more and coughed, puffing out his chest.

"Oh, you can go and stuff your stupid white fur up your-"

ooo

"…what?" Shadow, despite himself, ultimately ventured.

"It is as Maria has said. UL 2/24 and /25, like every hedgehog before you, Shadow, were vastly different. You are one of a kind and noone could ever reproduce you."

"See?! You´re special like everyone else here and nobody would ever think of doing anything to you!" Maria laughed again and hugged her friend who now even tentatively returned the embrace, still struggling to come to terms with what he had just heard and also still wondering whether he could actually believe it. He buried his face in her white gown, wishing that this angel´s words could be true.

The girl then looked up at her grandfather: "But…have you any idea why?"

Gerald, who had been smiling as he saw the display of affection before him now had a carefully neutral expression. "No, I couldn´t say."

ooo

"Aaaah, but I do." Said Sonic, tipping against his nose knowingly, "It´s that bacteria again, right? The one from the alien monster?"

Shadow nodded grudgingly. He had been planning on making that a grand revelation later on and now that goddamn hedgehog was ruining everything as usual.

"Yes." He replied curtly and was about to continue when Sonic cut in _again._

"But you told me that those bacteria were in my body, too! So how come my quills aren´t raised or anything? That would look mondo weird…"

"Well…"

"Just admit it, there´s a plothole."

"No, there´s not!" Shadow snapped back, "and I will prove it to you later. Satisfied?"

Sonic grumbled."It´s _always_ later! Alien killers, near memory loss, oddball bacteria. You´re worse than Sheherazade, you know that?"

ooo

"It doesn´t matter, anyway. You are still the same." Maria replied, before nuzzling Shadow´s neck again, her fingers already searching for her favourite piece of white fluff while the hedgehog himself was doing his best to prevent her from reaching just that.

In the wrestle of fingers, suddenly she frowned. "Hey, where are your gloves? Didn´t you like them so much?"

"I…" Shadow looked down as the painful memories as well as the doubt began to emerge again. Maybe he could distract Maria instead?

"…shouldn´t you be in the hospital?" Suddenly he gasped and tried to scramble away from her as something else surfaced in his mind. "I can´t be with you! Vincent said it was my fault that you got sick at all!"

Maria tried to keep her face carefully pleasant. "Vincent," she began, "is a lying bag of filth that should be thrown into an acid pit with rabid piranhas inside it - that is, after we have skinned him for medicinal purposes, such as hanging his hide somewhere as a _warning_."

Gerald was unsure whether he should reprimand Maria for this (or rather remember the treatment for future use on Snively) but that was all cast aside as his granddaughter answered the question he had been asking himself.

"No, of course it wasn´t your fault! It wasn´t anything serious." She blushed slightly as she then clarified: "Actually, it was just the pepper. I inhaled something and sneezed – the rest of my reaction was just shock. I´m always such a baby whenever I notice any symptoms of sicknesses about me, I know how serious they can be in my case. Sorry for shocking you both like that."

Gerald and Shadow both felt like a huge weight had lifted off their chests.

"But back to my original question," she then added (and for Shadow it was as if the weight had just crushed back down again), "where _are_ your gloves? Did you lose them?"

"I…" the hedgehog´s voice was much smaller when he continued and Maria even dreaded that all their previous efforts had been in vain, "He…he took them. He said an experiment didn´t wear clothing."

Gerald thought he could spot the first signs of eruption from the already smoking volcano Maria and quickly intervened.

"Vincent was right."

Shadow winced as if struck and the girl turned a furious glare on her grandfather.

"WHAT?!"

Before the lava could threaten to overroll his carefully constructed village, he hurriedly explained himself.

"Experiments do not wear clothing. And Shadow, can you ever remember not having your gloves?"

The hedgehog looked at him, his face blank as the truth of the statement hidden in the question slowly sunk in.

"No. No, I can´t." But then he looked at his bare hands where the scarlet streak on his arm continued on to the back of his hand, blossoming into a diamond pattern. Quietly, he added: "…but now they´re…they´re gone…"

"Oh. Well, if _that_ is your only problem!" Gerald replied with sudden new cheer as if he had just now remembered something and strode over to the entrance where he picked up the rectangled box he had brought from his lab.

"I think it could nearly be a year now that you´re with us, Shadow. Happy sort-of Birthday."

Puzzled by both the strange congratulation and the first present he had ever received, the hedgehog reached into the box. Inside were two packages both wrapped in the same white paper, one big and unyielding, the other smaller and softer. Unwrapping the tissue paper of the first one, he stared in wonder at the two objects that fell out.

They were made from white plastic or an extremely light metal, Shadow couldn´t tell, but on the inside there were soft pads and cloth; on the sole, however, he found the strangest yellow rings, again made from an unknown material, even though it felt a little bit like rubber. Around the underside and the high-closed opening on the upside was red lining while the heel part was painted black. The hedgehog was stunned. Then:

"Eh…what do I do with them?"

Maria laughed. "Put them on, silly! They´re shoes, they´re for _you_! Grandpa, thank you so much for making them for Shadow!"

Shadow gave only a tiny smile. What good were shoes when he was a constant failure on two feet anyway? He turned his attention to the other package and the contents of this one let his spirits raise much higher.

"Wow! Gloves!"

Gerald rolled his eyes. _Trust everyone you give a present to to appreciate the thing that took the least effort to make most_.

Nevertheless, both humans enjoyed the sight of the hedgehog immensely as Shadow, with shining eyes, put on both white garments and wriggled his fingers, positively radiating joy.

"Thanks a lot, professor! They are awesome…"

Indeed, they were: Much softer, thicker and better-fitting than the human gloves he had worn until then, the new ones were everything a hedgehog could wish for: As pearl-white as the shoes, they were fashioned in a similar style; high-closed cuffs, red and black in their colouring, even matching his fur as a pleased Shadow now noticed.

X--X

"First Maria, now your stuff… I mean, everybody _knows_ what they look like, so why bother talking for _two freakin_ paragraphs about it?!"

"Well, Sonic, if you had been paying more attention, you´d have spotted that there is one big detail missing in the description."

"Huh? What?"

"Later."

"Argh!"

X--X

"I´m glad you like them. Now why don´t you try on the shoes?"

"Uh…sure." Shadow, unwilling to appear ungrateful, took one of them and made to pull it over his foot when another question came to him. Glancing at both Gerald´s and Maria´s feet, he asked: "Don´t I need, like…socks?"

Gerald chuckled. "That´s the best part. You don´t."

Both Maria and the hedgehog exchanged doubtful glances at that rather strange remark, but then Shadow just shrugged and slid his foot inside.

As soon as the limb had vanished, however, the spine of the hedgehog straightened as if there had been a bee hiding in his present. "Pro-professor?" he asked, sounding slightly startled as he tried to prise off the piece of clothing, "I think you must have forgotten something when making those, there´s, like, a strange metal plate inside and it´s cold…"

Gerald just grinned even broader. "I did not forget anything, Shadow. Those plates are supposed to be embedded in the in-sole and you will know why when you try on the other."

Confused, the hedgehog complied. In the same instant as he had slipped on the counterpart of the first shoe, however, he felt a strange _sucking_ sensation and yelped in surprise. At the same time, the scientist´s eyes were sparkling with unconcealed glee from behind his dark glasses and he watched merrily as several rays of purest light and energy were bursting from the openings beneath, hissing just slightly as the hover skates were put into action for the first time.

X--X

"Wow. And we´ve only just reached the twentieth chapter for that, too."

"Come here, Sonic, and put your face next to the soles of my shoes. I´m sure they have something important to say to you."

X--X

"Wh-what is that?! Make it stop, it´s weird!" Shadow looked at his blazing shoes, his eyes wide with a mixture of horror and disbelief.

"Oh, I can´t do that, Shadow. You must stop your Chaos energy from flowing to your feet yourself."

"Great! And I´m supposed to do that _how?!" _

"Now _don´t_ you snap at me young hedgehog-"

Not really listening, Shadow was actually scared – inside him he could now feel a pulsing power that he had never noticed consciously before, yet which still seemed uncannily familiar – and the shoes were sucking it up greedily, while the energy was just as eager to come to them, desiring to be released at last…

As he felt for the invisible streams of power, he knew it wasn´t just his feet – it was virtually _everywhere_ and his hands and chest started prickling when he thought of it.

_…come here?_ He thought, at a loss how to command the prickling sensation otherwise and suddenly, the energy obeyed. It was as easy as taking command of a new muscle – he concentrated and drew the pulsing sensation from his legs into his chest where it settled as a kind of comfortable warmth benath his ribs. The jets of his new shoes dimmed and went out and only now opened Shadow his eyes to look at an extremely happy and proud Gerald and a bemused Maria.

"Grandpa! Just what kind of shoes have you fabricated for him?!"

"What you have just witnessed, Professor Maria, was an application and transformation of Chaos energy, channeled by none other than our talented protegé Shadow." He replied, winking at her. More serious, he continued:

"I found out that our hedgehog apparently is a living collector of the omnipresent energy of Chaos. Like a robot or a chao, he is able to use that power to sustain his metabolism, or, as we have just seen, channel it into the receptors of the shoes where it can be converted into other forms of energy – like movement, if he´d just stand up."

Maria was quick to understand. "Oh, I get it! When he mentioned he hadn´t eaten anything for days or why he was never tired on our nightly trips-"

"_'Nightly trips'_, Maria Robotnik? As in, several?"

"I mean…nightly reading sessions in my room. I was reading fairy tales to him. Really."

When his eyesbrows only rose higher, she hurried to continue, eager to distract: "So, all that meant that he never collapsed from exhaustion because Chaos energy kept him up and running?"

"Exactly. Congratulations. Now Shadow just needs to learn to channel that energy…"

They both looked at Shadow, who had just gotten to his feet.

"…what?" he asked as he noticed their expectant stares.

"Well, use them!" Maria urged.

"I designed them to hover as well as skate." Gerald added helpfully.

"Oh. Okay." Shadow looked at his feet, then tried to call on the power inside him. Channeling it into his legs, huh? Oh, he would impress Maria now! Sensing the supply in his chest, Shadow seized control of it and tried to direct as much towards the shoes as possible.

Both humans cocked their heads in interest as the black hedgehog blasted himself rather impressively diagonally across the room, screaming all the way.

* * *

**Well. Whoever said that learning how to hoverskate was easy for Shadow the Hedgehog? XD**

**Anywhoo, thanks so much for all your kind reviews so far, they´re what keeps this story running. :)**

Hope you liked the little Shadow-grams section, it was fun to write (even if Sonic probably disagrees). If there´s another question about the story, you will be sure to see it again. (Who knows what may crop up in the comments? ;-) )

**  
Next up: I promise you..._Revenge!_ **


	21. Revenge

**Chapter 21: I Promise You…_Revenge!_ **

Shadow got to his feet rather groggily and glared at Maria, who had trouble hiding her giggles after she had seen that her friend was okay. (Heck, even Gerald had an expression that seemed too forced and neutral to be natural!)

"Well, Shadow, you might want to think about putting in some less energy than just now…"

The hedgehog grumbled something, then nodded and tapped into the power inside him again, this time cautiously trying not to channel too much. The result was a lot more satisfying: Slowly, Shadow rose until he hovered a few inches above the floor and a huge smile spread across his face. He tried to take a step forward, but nothing happened – there was no friction so he just moved in place.

Gerald saw him and advised, "The glass dome, Shadow. Remember that? Try to move like then!"

Tentatively, the hedgehog tried to achieve a disbalance in the shoes´output of energy so he could put one foot on the ground. After several attempts that resulted in Shadow turning in a circle, giving the very odd impression of a kind of misshappen hedgehog-merry-go-round, he at last managed to control the Chaos energy a little better. Gliding towards Maria, he already looked _very_ smug.

Gerald watched the high-five the two exchanged and couldn´t have been prouder if Shadow was his own grandson.

The next few hours (the professor had decided to just call it a day, merrily abusing his superiority for once as he informed his waiting colleagues no experiments with UL 2/23 could be taking place today, as the project was needed elsewhere) were spent with the three having enormous fun as they watched and encouraged Shadow in learning how to control the skates.  
Anyone who would now have thought of describing the Ultimate Lifeform as clumsy would have been sent to an optician – both Maria and her grandfather were positively flattened by the agile grace the hedgehog suddenly knew to move with.

He soon found out how to send powers in different dosages to the various openings in the soles and thus sideways accelerations, on-the-spot-turns, and quick stops became possible. It also wasn´t long before he managed to just angle his foot when skating, making even touching the actual floor with the sole unnecessary as just a backward burst of energy would be enough to propel him even faster. Gerald was astonished by his own invention and the hedgehog´s resourcefulness as Shadow discovered how to triple the length of his jumps with the shoes, even, to the delight of Maria, producing a somersault in mid-air at a later attempt.

(A try to do a back salto, though, resulted in Shadow landing head-first in a decorative plastic-plant – the hedgehog was just glad Maria had been visiting the bathroom when this happened).

Suddenly, however, the hover skates gave out and the hedgehog tumbled to the floor, groaning slightly. Both humans rushed over, alarmed.

"Shadow! What´s the matter?"

"So…tired…" The Ultimate Lifeform was actually surprised – he felt exhausted in a way he had never experienced before. It was a deep, inner depletion which scared him slightly with its strangeness.

Gerald knelt down next to him and placed the metal disc Shadow already knew against his chest.

"His Chaos energy levels are quite low. My guess is that he has been using far more power than would be necessary to channel through the hover skates. He should get better and more enduring with time."

ooo

"Wow. You know," Sonic started and smiled slightly, "I actually had always thought you to be a kind of…cheater. You know, with those shoes. I didn´t know you were in fact powering them with your own energy and it was just as exhausting as running. I think I´m impressed, now. Channeling that energy is not easy, is it?"

"Well, that rather depends," replied his black counterpart, for the first time since all the annoying interruptions also giving a small genuine smile, "I have always been somewhat impressed by your running skills. For me, moving my legs in that fashion at those speeds seems impossible. I´d probably stumble if I tried."

Sonic winked. "Never judge anyone until you´ve walked a mile in their shoes, huh?"

ooo

"But grandpa!" Maria still sounded concerned, "What does he need now? He looks awful!"

The old man smiled, since he saw the look of tired accomplishment and pride on the young hedgehog´s face that contradicted his granddaughter´s statement somewhat.

Indeed, the hedgehog´s self-confidence seemed to have been boosted considerably, even after having been so deeply hurt, when Maria had first assured him of his worth and then Gerald explained to him how the power of Chaos he wielded was nearly unlimited. Really, the scientist mused, Shadow had even shown signs of becoming downright cocky at that prospect.

"He needs the same that any other living creature needs when they have used up their energy. Sleep and some food when he wakes up."

The wise counsel of Gerald still in his ears, Shadow closed his eyes, dreaming of flying.

X--X

"Wow, Shadow, did you notice what happened?! We just had a male _bonding _experience there!"

"…I refuse to even _know_ you."

"No! Let´s bond some more, this is great!"

The Ultimate Lifeform groaned. In-story or out-of-story, Sonic was just proving that blue hedgehogs never ceased to be annoying, no matter what the place, time, or meta-level.

X--X

"VINCENT!"

The boy froze with one gloved hand in mid-punch.

Slowly, _very_ slowly, he turned around to what he guessed correctly was one seriously ticked-off Maria.

It had only been a few days since she had been committed to hospital but now she seemed to be on the peak of life-threatening health again.

Threatening _his_ life, that is.

"H-hey, Maria, it´s great that you´re alright again, I-"

"Don´t you _dare_ 'Maria' me, Vincent Graves!" she was striding through the fitness-center towards him and the punching bag now, her cheeks flushed with fury.

"But what have I done that-"

"Have you _any_ idea how much you hurt Shadow!"

Oh, bad. Very bad. He only realized now that the hedgehog apparently mattered much more to her than he could have estimated. Frightening the creature had probably been a very stupid move if he wanted to get closer to his cherished prize.

_At least,_ he thought, _if it can be traced back to me._ Time to change tactics and to maybe minimize the damage.

"I _hurt _him?!"

"Are you deaf?! You _intended_ to, he told me every single awful lie you planted in his innocent poor mind, he was utterly _crushed_ when I found him!"

_Oh, good._

"B-but that was never what I had in mind!" He tried to look horrified and it indeed seemed to work, since the raging fire in her eyes briefly appeared to calm a little, being replaced by a wary, questioning glance.

"You didn´t? Don´t play me for dumb, Vincent, we both know I´m smarter than you."

_That remains to be seen, my little Maria.  
_Even though it was rather hard to keep his cool when directly insulted, the boy just clenched his teeth and held on to his anxious mask, thinking of how the beautiful girl would soon be his again.

"I´m not lying! I really didn´t want to make him feel bad, I wanted to help him, to _warn_ him!"

She raised an eyebrow and crossed her arms. "…one minute to explain yourself."

Sweat covered his brow. He had had to improvise everything and now desperately hoped he would sound convincing.

"I, I talked to him, yeah. And I said to him…said to him…what some people saw in him. I wanted to prepare 'Shadow' for some rather uncomfortable truths that people could use to hurt him really badly later on! I thought it would be better if he knew everything right from the start! That´s how it was, really!"

"You told him he existed to be _killed_!"

"…I didn´t phrase it like that! I just said that some of the experiments were dangerous!"

Maria frowned at him, her scrutinizing glare hiding her own insecurity. Was he telling the truth? Shadow, like everyone young and inexperienced, could have been exaggerating…and while her grandfather had told her the tests were not dangerous, could he have been lying, trying to protect her from worry?

Less angry, but still not utterly convinced she carried on: "You said he could be just _replaced_."

"Well, that´s what my father told me, and it was true, wasn´t it? It´s so much better when he hears it from someone who cares before he discovers it on his own, right?"

Somehow, that still didn´t sound right, but Maria decided to let it slip. She couldn´t prove him wrong here.

"…but you even stole his _gloves!_ How do you explain that?!"

"Well, I…I…" his mind raced.

"…it´s just that, that some of the professors thought it wasn´t _right_ for him to have them. They were talking about how your grandfather was treating him way too much like a human and whether they shouldn´t lock him up for good! The hedgehog, I mean. So I thought it better when he wasn´t wearing any gloves and offered to take them, so they didn´t have anything to complain about against your old man."

Her frowning expression changed into one of worry. Could it really have been like that? And what, if there really _was_ a mutinous mood amongst the other scientists against Gerald?

"…if he feels really bad now, I´m sorry. Can you please tell him that?"

He used his best apologetic expression and largest eyes now. They never worked on his father but he remembered with a sting in his chest that they had always been able to turn his mother´s heart

Maria seemed to be fighting an inner struggle. Finally, she gave a curt nod, her face stern but not furious anymore. "Alright. I´ll believe you for now and I will tell Shadow. Just don´t…just leave anything in the future concerning him to me, right? I don´t think you are very good for him."

_You got that right. Even though it´s actually the other way round._

Outwards, though, Vincent just hung his head in fake remorse. "Yeah, I understand."

As the girl seemed to hesitate to leave him then, hope grew.

"Eh, do you think, we could maybe, tomorrow, together…?" He blushed and this time there was no need faking the expression.

Her face remained blank. "I don´t know, Vincent. I think Shadow needs me more at the moment. Maybe later, okay?"

She turned to leave and walk out of the fitness studio while the boy gnashed his teeth.

_Yeah, right. Enjoy what time you still have with the mutant._

Proud of his little charade, he boxed the punching bag again and this time it swung at least twice as far. Vincent imagined it wasn´t a brown sandsack but a small, black, red-striped body that smashed against the opposite wall…

xxx

"He told you _what?!"_

"Look, Shadow, I´m sure you were really upset and maybe not really listening properly…"

"He _stomped_ on my _gloves!_" Judging by Shadow´s expression at this statement, Vincent could equally have been setting fire to the Kaaba, the arc of the covenant and the pope himself all in one go instead.

"Well, Vincent told _me_ he…" Maria saw the burning crimson glare, now more fire-like than ever, and sighed. Ever since that encounter with the son of the General, her previous 'little hedgehog' had become more direct and also more prone to express his anger when he felt it.

That could also be seen as an improvement, but Maria found herself longing for the shy gentleness and the need for reassurance he had seemed to radiate earlier and which was now not as prominent as before.

ooo

"…Shadow, stop making things up."

"Oh you can believe me, Sonic, I was once quite different."

"Uh-huh. 'Shy gentleness', riiiiiight. Tell that to my not-at-all hostile and non-gullible friend Knux. He´s really quite the people person, you know."

Shadow sighed. "You of all people should know that a person can change. You did."

Sonic went very quiet.

"And maybe you will also come to realize during the course of this story that one can change _back_. He just has to have the will."

"Shadow…"

The black hedgehog looked up, wary. "Yeah?"

"…could you be so shy and gentle as to make me a sandwich?"

_Twitch._

"Every shrink would probably strangle you at this point."

The blue hedgehog looked away, giving a weak grin. "Sorry."

"You better be."

_Still, first he talked of another friend, then of food. This is starting to look good,_ Shadow thought as he shot another glance at the blue hedgehog´s body. The azure hero had taken ill care of himself, his ribs already showing through the unkempt peach fur. They made his otherwise sleek, strong form look oddly frail, and Shadow caught himself wondering just how long Sonic could actually have gone on in this manner if he hadn´t come along.

ooo

"He _said_ he was sorry."

"'_Sorry_' doesn´t cut the cake."

The girl could feel her own temper rising at the hedgehog´s stubborn behaviour, but then she saw the hurt that still lingered behind his gaze and experienced a short stab of grief as she realized that a certain degree of innocence had been shattered in her friend. The world had shown itself from its cruel side to him and Shadow proved to be a quick student.

Retaliate, rather than break, his posture seemed to shout and she could guess the shoes were playing their part as well.

"That stupid human can just go and…"

"Shadow! Now you sound almost as bad as him!"

"Oh, now you´re on his side as well, aren´t you?!" The black hedgehog rose in fury – which still didn´t make him taller than Maria, sadly – and made to stalk out of his friend´s bedroom.

"Oh Shadow, I´m not, but please…don´t be so upset! Just forgive him so we can put this matter behind us, I´m sure he really didn´t mean it!"

The door slid shut behind Shadow and he stopped to consider his options. One, he could go back into his cage in the lab of the professor. Two, he could return inside and tell Maria (whose imploring last words still rang painfully in his ears) she was right. Three, he could go looking for Vincent and give him a piece of his mind.

A grin slid across his features as he walked off and it became even broader as he remembered that _walking_ wouldn´t even be necessary.

As Maria stepped out of her room a few moments later, the corridor was empty, a soft swishing noise in the distance the only sound to be heard.

xxx

"Hey, you!"

For the second time that day, Vincent paused his exercises as someone called from behind.

He frowned. It was already quite late, so he was the only one still training in the fitness room.

His father had impressed on him how important a healthy body was for a soldier, so the boy had been doing push-ups, weightlifting and sandsack-boxing as long as he could remember. He thought his upper right was actually quite good.

The unknown, light and clear voice didn´t sound too friendly, though.

He turned around and squinted against the bright light from the open door permeating the semi-darkness in the deserted training area. Silhouetted against the glaring neon shine seemed to be a…starfish on legs…

"What…?"

"So you talked to Maria, huh?"

"Is that _you_, 2/23?"

"My name is _Shadow_. Get that straight in your head."

Vincent didn´t like that new tone at all. He bit his lip but then screwed his face up in a sneer.

"No it´s not, it´s-"

"We´ve already been through that. You´re a low-life liar and in future you will keep yourself away from Maria and me, understood?"

"W-what? You mutant scum, are you looking to get your face trampled on instead of your dirty gloves this time?!"

Shadow´s eyes narrowed at this particularly painful memory. But his lips drew back in a smirk, since he knew he would have to take it no more. "I´d like to see you try, you puny pup." He held out his hands limply, as if he were about to be handcuffed. "Here, I´ve even got some new ones you could try to steal."

As Vincent´s eyes grew accustomed to the lighting, the son of the General now noted for the first time a difference about the hedgehog´s appearance. It was indeed wearing new gloves and also.._shoes!_

The boy´s eyes were brown and blue, but at the moment they could have been equally green with envy. _How dare it have stuff that looks actually cooler than mine?! _

"I told you you are not allowed to wear them. Now strip and I won´t hurt you." But his knuckles were just itching to go after the hedgehog and Vincent wasn´t sure he would be able to contain himself much longer, especially since they were all alone and nobody would be able to hear any screams…Maria would surely believe him if he told her the freak had attacked first, right? And his fists should be able to do some well-deserved painful damage to the creature…

"Oh, I don´t think so." The black hedgehog took a few careful steps towards his former tormentor and tried to pretend he was still in danger of stumbling anytime. No need to spoil the surprise.

"Well, what _do_ you think then, if you think at all?"

"I _think_ Maria prefers me. She doesn´t really want to spend any time at all with you, you know? She likes me so much more and always tells me that Vincent is the biggest wimp on the entire space col-"

The human screamed and launched himself at the hedgehog, prooving to Shadow that he had finally found the right button.

Everything seemed to happen so fast and yet in slow-motion at the same time. The Ultimate Lifeform had already noticed previously that humans sometimes moved so sluggishly in comparison – but only now he realized how that could be turned into an incredible advantage.

He bared his fangs in a grin. Instantly, his shoes blazed underneath him and Vincent´s swing went through thin air.

"Wha-?"

"Not so smug now, are you?"

The boy´s head whipped round into the direction of the voice and his eyes widened in shock as he saw the hedgehog. He was - and now that the matter had become personal the bastard could also grudgingly be considered a person – standing on the other side of Vincent, a good five yards away.

"How..how did you get there?!"

"You know, you´re awfully slow. No wonder nobody likes you."

"Shut up, you experimental trash!"

Shadow´s grin just turned into a smirk. The words still weren´t very pleasant to hear but had lost nearly all of their former sting. He knew he was an experiment and had come to accept that in the last few days. But he also knew that that didn´t mean he had any less worth than those around him and that rendered such insults now virtually powerless. He, on the other hand, was aware of his abilities now.

"Can´t do better than that? I´m disappointed."

Vincent, hearing his father´s voice through Shadow´s words, charged forward again and aimed with more precision this time. The hedgehog avoided the blow nimbly once again but had no time to get away as more strikes followed swiftly. Never having been in real combat before, the Ultimate Lifeform did not now how to reclaim the offensive and suddenly wondered whether he might just be getting more than he bargained for. He swerved, blocked, jerked, and bent, but soon the inevitable happened and a punch struck true, throwing Shadow on the floor in front of Vincent.

The hedgehog dizzily reached up and felt the spot on the jaw where the boy had hit him. Surprised, he also could feel a strange metallic taste in his mouth and realized with slight nausea and shock that it was blood. The human once again had that repulsing expression of gloating contempt which had burned itself into Shadow´s memory on their last encounter. That alone was enough to let him stagger onto his feet before the boy could draw too close.

"Had enough, _UL 2/23_? Now surrender your stuff and crawl back into your cage like the naked vermin you are."

"In your dreams, you joke of a soldier."

"How _dare _you-"

"You might not have realized," the hedgehog started, "but not only have I flowing blood through my body exactly like you," – he spat on the floor, the wound in his mouth making the saliva leave a crimson stain on the steel – "but I´m also _faster_," – he was on Vincent in an instant – _"- stronger -_" – and with a swipe of a black and red striped leg and a push to his throat, the human could suddenly feel his knees collapsing, sending him down on the floor on his back – _"- smarter_ -" – now the boxing gloves were ripped from his hands and tossed on his chest, while he himself was still too shocked to act – "and more advanced than you´ll _ever_ be."

And with those final words, the hedgehog´s shoes seemed to errupt into fire.

Vincent sreamed as the creature raised one of them and let it come down hard on his torso. He could _feel_ the heat scorching his face, was just _waiting_ for the searing pain to explode on his chest, but just as soon the pressure disappeared and he opened his eyes to stare down his body in surprise.

His boxing glove lay there on his chest, the black-burned outlines of the hedgehog´s shoe quite clearly visible on its back.

"I hope you know what you´re dealing with now. I´m the Ultimate Lifeform as you said yourself, so don´t you _dare_ insult me again."

And with that, the hedgehog strode off, no trace of his insecure stumble visible in his step, an occasional small burst of Chaos energy keeping him balanced.

"You…you…I´ll get you for this!"

"Oh yeah? Have fun trying to catch me." Shadow turned around and ignited his shoes again, displaying his hover abilities to their full extent before skating around the boy and then off at top speed.

And as Vincent´s jaw hit the floor, the young black hedgehog continued on his way, his laughter echoing merrily from the metal walls of the space colony ARK.

Vincent was _seething._

_To be continued..._

* * *

**...I´m so happy this story has attracted such a wonderful group of reviewers. Thanks so much! I wish I knew how to celebrate...  
**

**Anyway, hope you liked little Shadow´s development in this segment. :) **

**_Next up:_ Live and Learn **

**...and if you read, please review! **


	22. Live and Learn

**Chapter 22: Live and Learn **

The next few months were nearly pure bliss as far as Shadow was concerned. Vincent seemed to be sufficiently scared to stay away from him and Maria – Shadow hadn´t told the girl of their little second meeting, he had a kind of hunch that she probably wouldn´t approve of his tactics – and the two disparate friends got to spend all of their free time together.

They enjoyed immensely each other´s company (sometimes too immensely, since they had already got thrown out of the canteen. Upon the hedgehog´s first exposure to cakes, Maria had commented that Shadow looked rather like a Black Forest tart himself, which had resulted in a food fight and landed them both on their behinds outside, with Nate close to a nervous breakdown and the hedgehog on a sugar high. The latter two things coincided remarkably often.)

Nevertheless, Shadow found the human food a lot more to his liking than the nutritional pills offered to the other, non-sapient test animals and often went to eat alongside Maria. Sometimes Gerald joined them too, although they had dinner in private when that occurred. The professor could sense it probably wasn´t the best idea to be seen at the same table with what his other colleagues thought to be no more than a lab rat who had picked up a few words and was secretly worried about the rumours of mutiny Maria had passed onto him. Shadow didn´t eat much and not everyday, but he loved being around the two humans nonetheless and each of the three could not deny they had a lot of fun and animated talks and discussions when together.

The only events over-shadowing the otherwise happy and carefree time were the new turn the latest experiments and tests performed on Shadow had taken recently. Since his system was now deemed sufficiently developed, the medical evaluations began centering more directly around his actual purpose, to cure the the terminal illness NIDS which rendered the immune system of whomever it befell completely powerless. At first, Shadow had looked forward to starting the experiments, eager to help Maria but his good spirits soon vanished as the scientists got to work.

He had winced as the needle penetrated into his shoulder, but nothing could have prepared him for the hell that followed.

They injected him with ever new diseases and viruses, keen on finding out whether and how the small black-furred body would be able to cope with the infection or if it eventually would cave in and die. For Shadow this meant often feeling awful for hours until his immune system had got the intruders in check and the even worse part was also being stuck in quarantine until that happened. His only comfort in the small holding cell then became Maria who stared at him with a sad smile or tormented apologetic expression through the extra thick window, not leaving until Shadow was released again.

Indeed, her presence there was sometimes the only thing that prevented the hedgehog from just kicking another white-coated scientist who had again ungently grabbed his arm to insert a new fever-bringing syringe into his blood.

ooo

"Ugh," Sonic commented, "harsh."

"I daresay. I don´t think there´s many patches of skin left on me that weren´t used as black-furred needle cushions during that time."

"But even with all that stuff inside you…you survived?"

Shadow had to remind himself again that this was _Sonic_ he was talking to.

"Unbelievably as it may seem with me sitting here in front of you and still breathing, yes."

"Hey, no need to get insulting. Also, if I get some weird case of rabies later on because you used my toothbrush, you´ll be the first person I bite."

"If you get so worked up about that dental cleaning device, I better not tell what I did to your towels."

"Now just wait a-!"

ooo

Despite all that, however, Shadow was still reasonably happy, also because during his physical examinations due to his shoes he was now the subject of wonder and incredulity, as the humans still couldn´t get over his newfound abilities or the exponential growth of his muscles and agility that now ensued. Their amazement never ceased when he performed his tricks and Shadow loved the attention and admiration.

Thinking of that helped a lot when he felt like vomiting while his body fought yet a new type of bacteria and every fibre of his being seemed to hurt.

At least, to Shadow it appeared as if he was actually getting better at defeating the stuff they injected into him.

ooo

"I still bet you have nothing on a common cold."

"Hardy-har-har, Sonic."

"What? That´s, like, the ultimate illness. Your viral counterpart. And, well, can it get to you?"

"I am not contagious when infected. But if you mean, am I immune, then..." Shadow actually blushed a little at this (as Sonic noted with amusement), "…no."

"Hah! I knew!"

"Oh, shut it."

ooo

Maria, however, was not at all assured.

"Oh, Shadow, I´m so incredibly sorry…please believe me, I hate them for doing this to you!"

The hedgehog walking beside her sighed with a weary smile. They had had this conversation many times.

"Maria, I told you: I´m doing this for you and I´m not sorry I choose to do so." True, it was hard to feel that way when he lay on that blasted cot with the poisons dripping into his vein wanting to die, but when he got better, his resolve to go through it again the next time always returned. Gerald had commented on how Shadow seemed to have matured through his ordeal and the Ultimate Lifeform had felt very proud.

"But…but it´s still not right! You could…" she didn´t finish the sentence, but she didn´t need to. He knew exactly how his friend felt about the methods the scientists were employing. She had screamed at her grandfather to stop them, later pleaded, eventually even refused nutrition completely for days until Shadow had begged her to eat again. Gerald wasn´t too happy about the hedgehog´s suffering either, but he wanted to make progress as much as his colleagues.

"Maria, I´m sure I´ll survive. I trust the Professor. I´m his creation and I believe he has made me strong enough to withstand anything they can poke me with."

She frowned, her worries not really disspelled, but put aside for the moment. The mention of her grandfather, however, brought something else to her mind.

"Hey, Shadow! Did I tell you that my schoolbooks arrived yesterday?"

X--X

"Wow. I didn´t know amazon was delivering _that_ far."

"You are not in mourning for Tails. You´re more like some nightmarish comedian in disguise."

"Well, your story is getting ridiculous as well! How should they get there, with magic?"

"The books arrived with the daily transport flight, you nim-wit!"

X--X

The girl seemed unnaturally happy to receive such horrible items.

"Really? But aren´t you already getting your education, on those computer systems?" asked Shadow, puzzled.

Since Maria and Vincent were the only children aboard the ARK, nobody had bothered to set up a school or employ teachers. Instead, both of them were supposed to learn everything from various study programs installed on the mainframe for them. Shadow had never admitted it, but he was actually kind of jealous of Vincent because he got to learn new things while the hedgehog felt like biting the humans in the near vicinity just to see how _they_ would cope with the latest viruses they were testing on him.

Not that letting him access the programs would have helped any, mind you. Shadow and the computers had long since worked out a deal: He wouldn´t touch them and in turn the machine wouldn´t explode the hardrive to end its suffering.

Maria´s answer roused the hedgeheg from his pondering. "Oh, I _did._" She looked smug. "But some time ago I finished with the stuff for the last high school year. Vincent, of course, is still _way_ behind where he should be, that bombs-for-brains. Except in computers of course, he´s actually good at that. Anyway," she continued, as if cutting off some annoying thought, "point is, now granddad has agreed to finally teach me personally for a few hours each day after he read my last essay on Chaos energy! Which I based on you, by the way." The young hedgehog actually reddened at this comment and looked away, while his friend talked ever more enthusiastically. "A human teacher instead of those boring, repetitive programs! That´s so awesome, I can´t wait!"

X--X

"I think I´m going to be sick."

"Get bent. Not everyone´s quit school at the age of twelve to hunt down megalomaniacal scientists like you."

"Well, technically, my school was _blown up_ by said egg-shaped wonder…"

"That explains a lot. I actually don´t think you ever recovered from that concussion." Shadow commented acerbically and Sonic receded into a huff.

X--X

The black hedgehog´s muzzle had regained its peach colour by now and he looked up at Maria with questioning eyes. "When does it start?"

"In an hour, actually. Wanna come?"

"Sure!"

Of course, Shadow would have agreed to come as well if Maria had asked him to go on a tour of hedgehog-killing facilities, but he found himself actually looking forward to experience a real lesson for once. Surely it would be interesting?

xxx

A good hour later Shadow was asking himself how he could ever have been so stupid.

It was _boring._

That is, not really. Staring at drying paint could be considered boring. To the hedgehog however, drying paint would by now have been exiting enough to give him a heart attack.

It was so frustrating! Shadow didn´t understand a word of what Gerald was explaining to Maria, and couldn´t make head or tail of the strange squiggles the old man was drawing on the blackboard either. His friend, on the contrary, found herself in rapt attention as she positively drank everything in while her grandfather elaborated on the finer points of biology, astrophysics, chemistry, mathematics, ethics in scientific professions, and sometimes cooking when he got off-course.

"And what about Chaos Emeralds under the aspect of 'E equals mc²', grandpa?"

"Ah, a wonderful question, we shall be getting to that soon. Now if you look at that integral here…"

Shadow´s forehead connected noisily with the surface of the desk, going _bonk._

But he knew it was neither fair nor appropriate to make a spectacle out of himself now and annoy Maria (who looked as if she had just reached paradise), so he sighed and grabbed one of her books that were lying on the table, flipping through it to distract himself.

The room they were sitting in was sparingly furnished; the blackboard, some mismatched chairs, tables (one of which the two unlike friends occupied, another one that served as teacher´s desk) and a lonely cupboard stuffed to the brim with things the freshly-made teacher Gerald considered educational the only objects of interest.

The professor had made another effort, however, and decorated the grey walls with every school poster he could find or print, which now made for a rather…_original_ array of pictures. Sugary-cute Chao were playing on a meadow next to an interesting insight in the various organs of the human body, while on the other side a fat, purple cat proclaimed that 'F is for PHROGGY!'. Maria, of course, was oblivious to all of that as her brain went into joyful overload while her full mental capacities could finally be put to use, and Shadow found the images mildly interesting, but not very captivating since he couldn´t read anything it said on them.

Gerald had now settled down to write something on his laptop, while Maria was happily working with the sheets he´d given her, full of complex diagrams which she was busy completing. The young hedgehog next to her saw the girl´s content expression, sighed again, and thumbed through the book on the table without much enthusiasm. Sadly, there weren´t many pictures.

A quarter of an hour later, Gerald raised himself and went to their desk to have a look at Maria´s progress. What he saw seemed to find his approval and he almost turned around again, before his glance fell on Shadow, who was now switching the hover skates on his dangling feet on and off in boredom.

"Good Morning, Shadow. You are accompanying Maria to her lessons?"

The hedgehog gave him a forced smile. "Yeah, I guess. I´m not interrupting her, though."

"Oh no, far from it. I see you are finding her books quite interesting?"

"Uh…actually…" he sighed. No reason to pretend.

"…these pictures don´t make much sense. I don´t think there´s a story behind them."

Gerald looked at the bacteria cross-sections on the page and then to the hedgehog, surprised. It seemed as if Shadow had hoped the text book would be like the picture books he knew and was now disappointed.

"No, there isn´t. Not a story as you know them, anyway." As the hedgehog´s expression at those words seemed to become even more disheartened, Gerald understood.

"You are bored, am I right?"

Shadow looked at his shoes. "…yeah. Sorry."

"Don´t worry, that is understandable. If you want to, I could get you some crayons-"

ooo

The notion of Shadow with a colouring book in his hand had been to much for the azure hedgehog. Sonic had fallen off the couch with laughter, while his darker counterpart mused on whether to congratulate himself on at least partly restoring the light-hearted spirits of Sonic, or to kick the blue bastard while he was still on the floor instead.

ooo

An idea came to Gerald out of nowhere and made him freeze for a moment. It didn´t seem too bad, either. After all, he had already given Shadow clothes, ate with him on the same table and the hedgehog was the best friend of his grandchild, so why not…?

"Or instead," he addressed Shadow, "how would you like to learn to read and write?"

xxx

A few months later, Gerald was teaching both Maria and Shadow side-by-side, dividing his attention equally between the two who were both learning quickly and effortlessly. The scientist just hoped his colleagues would never, ever find out that famous Professor Gerald Robotnik now was spending a good part of his time showing his own experiment how to handle fractions.

It was when the professor had been trying to teach Shadow where to set those things called 'commas' (against which the hedgehog had been harbouring a deep grudge ever since and the resentment seemed mutual), that the Ultimate Lifeform surprised the scientist anew.

"Hey," Maria had suddenly interrupted the two, "Shadow is writing with his left hand."

Her grandfather looked at her. "So?"

"Yesterday he used his right."

Shadow stopped his exercise. "Yeah, but my right feels tired, so I switched." He held up his right hand for them to inspect and continued filling in commas in entirely wrong places.

Gerald raised his eyebrows as he noticed that indeed the thin, tall letters of the hedgehog today slanted the other way, but were otherwise still neat and tidy as always. He summed it up: "It seems, Maria, that Shadow is ambidextrous. It is very rare, but the individuals affected by this are actually equally adept with either hand. Which still doesn´t improve his grammar, sadly."

The scientist gave a mock sigh, while Maria giggled. Shadow glared at them both but wrote on with his left hand, oblivious to another one of his unique talents.

xxx

_Ultimate indeed,_ Gerald mused another few weeks later as the hedgehog was even having fun impressing Maria by writing with both hands at the same time, thus doubling his speed.

The old man shook his head smiling, before returning to his absentee voting sheet for the presidential elections this week. He was rather hoping that the oppositional party would win this time, since it was them that had been so enthusiastic about the whole UL project in the first place and were also responsible for the huge budget that he was able to work with. They were rather close to GUN, which he resented, but he didn´t care that much for their actual militaristic agenda as long as they remained the benefactors of scientific research they had been so far. Luckily, they already held the majority in the Senate, so ARK had been possible at all.

After mulling it over for a few more minutes, the scientist finally made his cross with two decisive strokes, then looked up at his charges, instantly rolling his eyes. Shadow was right now demonstrating his amazing two-handed juggling talent (using their apples for lunch), his hands a blur, and Maria oscillated between clapping, shrieking with laughter and reminding the hedgehog that they were actually supposed to be doing something else.

ooo

"Awesome! Could you do a little show for me now, too?" Sonic grinned, never having heard of anyone being ambithingy before.

His black counterpart just gave him a blank stare however, massaging his shoulder absently.

"No, Sonic, I can´t."

"Huh? Why not, I´d really like to see-"

But Shadow was already continuing his story, not waiting for the puzzled blue hedgehog to pursue the topic further.

ooo

"Hard-working as ever, I see."

His granddaughter jumped and clasped her hands in front of her mouth, while the hedgehog spun round at the noise, a guilty expression fleeting across his face.

Gerald tried to look stern and reprimanding, a task at which he utterly failed as several apples still in the air all proceeded to bounce off Shadow´s head.

"I swear, you two will be the death of me yet." He threatened, his lips twitching underneath the untamed moustache.

"Sorry, professor."

"Sorry, grandpa."

Both of them looked down very remorseful (and had it not been for the quivering of the hedgehog´s quills, they would have been very _convincing_, too).

He sighed. "Well, at least Shadow has lost nothing of his accuracy - although I recommend he works on his acting skills. I think we can finish for today, just make sure you revise what you have learned later on. I have to send this thing here off, the carrier leaves in thirty minutes…" he held up the voting envelope with two fingers and started packing up his documents. Maria and Shadow, still giggling, did the same.

"And Shadow, don´t forget, Doctor Snively has scheduled his experiment with you for tomorrow, 11 am."

The hedgehog grimaced. How could he?

It turned out, however, that Snively had entirely different plans for the Ultimate Lifeform as soon as the election results were through.

_To be continued.._

* * *

Weeell, here´s how an experiment ever got to learn to write and read. :) Vincent is scheeming and keeping at a distance for the time being and I´m sure you all miss him terribly. Next chapter, however, Shadow is going to have some bigger problems than just a jealous little boy...

**Next up: Election Celebration - A dark dawn aboard the ARK**

**If you read, please review:-) **


	23. Election Celebration

**Shadow-Grams!**

(theme music fails to play)

"Dear Readers!" the blue hedgehog began, beaming, standing in the middle of the living room the two mobians had been occupying for some time now, "we would like to present to you the 23rd installment of 'Life Could Have Been So Boring, If It Wasn´t For Sonic!'"

"...that is not the title. If I let you do the speech, at least get it right, for Chaos´ sake."

Sonic shrugged. "Hey, you have no choice but to let me do it. You couldn´t lighten the mood if armed with a flamethrower. I, on the contrary -" he grinned again, turning back towards his audience. "Am a natural. So, dear readers -"

"I could set you on fire any time."

"Shadow, stop with the ambiguity, or else I´ll have to hurt you. There are kids reading this."

"I was being literal."

Sonic watched his poker-faced counterpart, hating the fact that you could never tell whether he was serious or not. Slightly disturbed, he tried to get back to finish his adress properly this time.

"As I was saying: Shadow and I are proud to announce that we have now officially reached ten thousand hits! And even if your taste in main characters for a story is screwed up, we still love you guys!" he shouted, throwing a bunch of roses into the audience while Shadow just threw up. Nearly.

"Aww, come on, Shads, people like it! Look, I even did some decorations!"

The blue hedgehog indicated the 'Shadow-grams' area, which was indeed adorned by various coloured streamers, congratulation cards (which Sonic appeared to have signed himself) and, last but not least, the ciphers 10 000 wrapped in gold duct tape that hung from the ceiling.

Shadow twitched.

"It´s tacky."

Sonic glared. "Fine then, be that way." The azure hero seemed all prepared to stomp out off the room, but then suddenly stopped and turned around one last time, his eyes twinkling. "But least we forget: Of course, there´s a reward for all of you! Since this story´s going so well, you can now vote the official pairing for Shadow! The hottest dude in here is not up for grabs this time - because, frankly, the mere thought of it makes me want to go hide behind fundamentalist Catholics - but you can still choose between Shadow/Maria, Shadow/Gerald and/or the lovely triangle VincentShadowBlackDoom!"

At which point Shadow would have strangled Sonic. That is, if a falling zero had not knocked him unconcious.

The blue hedgehog looked at the fallen form. "...well. Goes to show you shouldn´t decorate at sonic speed. Anyway, we´ll try this again when we have reached twenty thousand hits, promise! Here is the new chapter for you and Sonic- er, Shadow-grams will be back as soon as our protagonist-in-denial wakes up and I have gotten Tails to do some better lighting...little dude for some reason refuses to appear in this story...but for now: Please enjoy!"

* * *

**Chapter 23: Election Celebration**

Sonic frowned. "This election you´re talking about, was that the one just now or one before?"

"Before. A few years ago. If it was the recent one, I probably wouldn´t have even reached my full height by now."

"How tall are you anyway?"

"Same as you."

"Damn."

ooo

It was later that evening, as Maria and Shadow were strolling through the semi-lit corridors behind the kitchens, still talking about whether Shadow shouldn´t also start with the learning programmes the two human kids had already been working with, now that a basic knowledge of most things had been established.

"I still don´t know, Maria. I could just read books."

"Yes, probably more of that murder mystery nonsense you´re so fond of. I can just picture you learning tons from that."

"That´s not fair, there´s loads of-"

But he was cut off by Maria who had just put a finger to her lips and indicated him to be silent. Right across from them, a door stood half-open, the sounds of an animated discussion of several humans within sounding out into the corridor. Both of them immediately treaded more silent, Shadow quietly moving along on his skates, and stayed in the shadow on the opposite wall while sneaking past unnoticed.

It wasn´t that Shadow was still technically confined to his cage that they took such caution. But even while Gerald had made it perfectly clear that the hedgehog had free access to most of the civilian´s areas like Maria, at least the two friends knew that the majority of the colony´s inhabitants resented the fact. Some would scowl when they went past, others ask that they keep away, a few 'anthrophobes' even fleeing the scene when the pair arrived.

Maria wasn´t happy about this, but Shadow seemed to have arranged himself with the situation. In conclusion, the girl and the hedgehog just avoided areas with a lot of commotion – the exception being the canteen – and kept to themselves in the quieter areas of the ARK.

As they stalked past the door, however, both could see that there was no danger of being discovered. Every eye in the room was glued to the television screen and a cluster of scientific personel, cleaning crew, and some soldiers were watching it and talking to each other at the same time, taking no heed of anything going on outside.

"What are they so interested in?" Shadow, peeking into the room, questioned Maria. He liked watching television, too, sometimes, but usually only movies that involved spies or detectives could interest him. Well, and there was that soap on Sundays. But he took special care that Maria never saw him watching _that_.

ooo

Again, censorship fell heavily. Shadow thought there was no need for Sonic ever to know of his infatuation with the pretty lead hedgehog Silver…(or the fact that he _still_ harboured a soft spot…but he only tuned in sometimes now. Never regularily, of course.).

Why was that blue hedgehog watching him now with that stupid grin?!

ooo

"I think it could be the presidential election. It happens every few years and most of the adults get pretty exited about it." Maria answered.

"Is it that important?"

"Well…the president is the most powerful man among the countries dominated by humans. The sapients have the monarch family of Acorn as a ruling institution, I think. But up here it doesn´t matter much. I don´t think any decisions made down there will reach all the way to our colony."

In the room wasn´t much happening apart from the bickering between the two fractions that had emerged, so Shadow just shrugged and the two unlike friends withdrew and wandered down the corridor once more, toying with the idea of raiding the industrial-sized fridge while Nate was probably distracted in front of a telly somewhere.

xxx

"Congratulations, our budgets are safe!"

Gerald chuckled and toasted one of his equally celebrating colleagues with his glass of champagne. Most of the scientists in the room had voted for the conservative party, like him, and were now joking and laughing off the tension that had built up amongst them during the hours of counting. They were all aware that a renewed victory of the religious Democrats could have spelled disaster for their various projects, as with a sufficient majority in congress, the party would probably have stopped the research, since they regarded the artificial creation of new life as an insult to their beliefs.

Now, however, the new president had emerged from their favoured group that had supported the ARK from the beginning and all was well.

A few other scientists and some kitchen staff, pacifists to the core, had left the room in disgust as soon as the results were announced, but Gerald didn´t particularily feel any sympathy for them. Sure, he wasn´t too happy about the preemptive war policy and armament programmes the victor party stood for either, but the old man was of the opinion that one couldn´t make an omelette without reluctantly smashing a few eggs.

Heck, when that Black Doom character found out that Shadow wasn´t a fighter capable of finding the Emeralds but a playful hedgehog with a weakness for cherries, some additional national security would maybe even come in handy. Not that the aliens could actually _do_ anything when the Ultimate Lifeform had never been trained for their demands anyway.

It was in those festive spirits that Snively approached him, and for once Gerald didn´t feel resentment towards the small man but raised his glass to toast him as well.

"Research, Doctor Snively! Let´s drink to that!"

The other smiled amiably and also sipped at his champagne, but when he spoke after that, Gerald thought he could see something malicious hiding behind his friendly mask.

"I´m glad you celebrate the return to power of our party, Professor Robotnik. But you could also drink to congratulate me."

Gerald´s eyebrows shot upwards in amusement and he felt the alcohol buzzing in his system.

"Oh? What is the good thing that has happened to you? Not another growth hormone discovery, I believe?"

Snively was already gnashing his teeth again as the professor and several bystanders burst out laughing at this quip, but he kept his temper. Now the old fool would finally be shown his limits.

"Actually no, Professor. And it´s not 'Doctor Snively' either, anymore. I have recently been promoted."

Gerald stopped chuckling at this and frowned. Staff decisions concerning the scientific personel were usually not made without him giving his consent, especially not this high up in the hierarchy. What was the man talking about?

"Promoted? And may I ask who would have been the responsible authority for this?"

The merry atmosphere had cooled down several degrees during the last exchange and a lot of others closeby had silenced their own conversations to listen in. Both tone and body language of the two scientists now spoke of confrontation. Why would Snively dare to challenge Robotnik, the head scientist, all of a sudden?

"The responsible authority in this case would have been me, I presume."

Every head in the room whipped round at once to the voice. With the entire attention focused on Gerald and his opponent, nobody had noticed the entry of this newcomer.

Now people immediately were unconciously shuffling backwards, creating a small circle around the arrival, as if he radiated an unseen power. The lighting coming from behind gave him a dark halo as his lean, muscular frame was cast in half-shadow, the polished buttons on the uniform gleaming in the twilight. Gerald scowled as his gaze fell upon the man and Snively gave a nasty grin when he observed the professor´s expression.

The towering, grey-clad, steel-eyed, impressive figure in the room was none other than that of Graves senior himself.

He could have been called handsome, some twenty years ago. His face was slender, angular and well-defined, his intelligent eyes, bi-coloured like his son´s, still burning like those of a much younger man. But the expression in his face was not. Graves had started out with a broad chin and high cheekbones, but what would have been the model characteristics for a male hero in a picture book were lacking any human warmth. It wasn´t even cruelty or malice that leered out at you from his stare, but looking at him could be compared to staring down the barrel of a gun.

He was powerful.

Cold.

In control.

_Dangerous_.

X--X

"The General?" Sonic frowned. "Isn't he from your game, too? The guy with the giant shoes and absurd posing problem?"

Shadow ground his teeth. "Yes, he is. And thanks to your inane comments, all my efforts to establish him as an intimidating character just went out the window and in front of a juggernaut."

"Or maybe it's just that your story-telling's lousy."

"On second thought, I should push _you_ in front of a juggernaut."

X--X

"General." Gerald greeted him with a stiff nod.

"Professor." The tall man repeated, and the head with the stony features, too, inclined briefly.

"My colleague here told me that he has been…promoted by you. Surely you have not forgotten that the civilian´s careers fall into _my_ responsibility?" The scientist asked and although the tone was calm and level, noone present could mistake the sense of 'And by the way, has anyone ever told you that your buttocks look like a pair of pufferfish in that dress, dear?' hiding just below the surface.

"They_fell_, professor, they _fell._" If the silver-haired man was at all fazed or stung by this, he did not show it.

"I would be delighted to hear your elaboration on this, General Graves."

"You shall. In light of the recent change in government, our new president felt compelled to promote me And as Commander, I not only outrank any and all civilians present in the colony now, but have also been granted certain liberties concerning staff choices."

Several gasps were heard from the audience, and Gerald´s fingers around the glass tightened subtly as he knew what they thought. The balance of power between Robotnik and Graves had been shattered. The ARK had one man in command now and he was not wearing a lab coat, but stripes on his sleeves.

X--X

"Should I play the Darth Vader imperial theme now?"

"It would be your funeral march, Sonic."

X--X

"Everyone on this colony will from now on report to me, and only to me. Is that understood?" Commander Graves looked around the room, aware that all gazes were now fixed on him alone. It was time to finally establish some order.

"Your research will take a slightly new direction as of now. President´s orders. You will be able to continue your originally planned projects, but I, our government, and your country will also expect you to give something back for everything you have received so far, by immersing yourself in the enhancement of GUN´s resources. This is for our national safety and I will not tolerate any obstructionists."

Muttering and nervous exchanges of looks had started to break out in the crowd at this but they were silenced immediately as Graves continued, his low, powerful voice commanding the attention effortlessly.

"I trust that that is all in your agreement. Indeed, I believe I even have just gate-crashed a small election celebration." The corner of his mouth twitched slightly, as some dry remant of a former smile had been called back into life for fractions of a second.

A surprising amount of people now looked even more worried or actually slightly confused, as if a lot of them were suddenly trying to remember just what their supported party had actually said in their pamphlets and where on earth it had included turning ARK into North Korea.

"A board of professors and seargents will be established to deal with decisions, which I will preside. I will appoint the members of this caucus later. In the meantime, please proceed as usual, until my subordinates have handed out your new schedules and information on the projects you will be working on part-time forthwith."

The Commander let his gaze travel over the blank faces of his audience, most of which were too stunned to say anything, or too intimidated by the natural authority imminent in every word or gesture by the hawk-eyed man.

He nodded. "Very well. Chief Professor Robotnik and Chief Scientist Snively, (Gerald sucked in some air rather sharply through his nose at this title, as the smaller scientist noted with satisfaction) I will ask you to come with me, as your assigned project especially is of the utmost importance. Everyone else may feel free to continue the celebrations." With a curt nod, Graves strode out of the room, his militaristic bearing suggesting that any missing courtesy in his address was not rude, but simply deemed inefficient.

Gerald followed him, walking behind Snively who now seemed to have fallen into an odd strut, his nose the sole ruler of the airspace above him.

The leader of the little procession, however, was Commander Graves, striding evenly on the way to his office and the old scientist had never felt further from laughing.

xxx

"Is Nate going to kill us?"

"Definitely. And he´ll probably have your pretty black hide afterwards, too."

Shadow snorted with laughter, even if he was blushing at that comment again.

"…I think you had a little bit too much of those brandy chocolates, Maria, you´re not making any sense."

The girl, her cheeks equally flushed from giggling and indeed some rather questionable sweets, just grinned and elbowed her smaller friend at this. "Oh come on, Shadow, you know how much _I_ like to bury my fingers in that fur…even if I prefer it with its occupant still in it. And our resident poor cook is really likely to be seriously ticked off when he discovers half of tomorrow´s dessert gone."

The black hedgehog, just swaying a little while walking (which was due to tiredness and not at all to those accursed, tasty, pralines, mind you), chuckled. "Maybe we could do something to make it up to him."

Maria took another insecure step in the barely illuminated corridor and looked at Shadow, a curious, half-grinning expression on her face. "Like what?"

"Tell him we want some custard to go with it!"

Both burst out laughing at that non-sensical statement, the image of a possibly incandescent Nate at that insult after injury and the alcohol from the chocolates making them feel light-headed and goofy.

The two unlike friends were still clutching at each other for support and tottering down the corridor highly amused (random bursts of energy from the skates NOT helping), when they finally exited the area of the maintenance staff quarters. They were now entering the scientists´ part of the ship, where they all but fell into the laboratory of Gerald to say hello. (or possibly Good Night. They weren´t quite sure of that part yet).

Their laughter stopped as soon as they saw the broken shell of a man sitting in the professor´s chair.

"G-grandpa? What is…?"

Maria gently disentangled herself from Shadow and hurried anxiously closer to the desk where he had usually always greeted her smiling.

Gerald was ashen-faced. Even though he had before never shown a sign of his old age, it seemed as if the nearly nine decades he´d lived in this world now had fallen on his shoulders all at once. He was staring dully straight ahead, his eyes visibly sunken and blood-shot in their sockets behind his dark glasses. The moustache, usually springy and well-kempt, now was drooping and frayed. In fact, the entire impression the man gave was as if he had just experienced the worst news in his life.

X--X

"I know how he feels. At one stage they told me I wasn´t gonna be in SuperSmashBrothers Brawl after all."

"I promise you your very own 'Brawl' right here in this living room if you ever interrupt with such nonsense again."

X--X

"_Oh my god, grandfather, what has happened?!"_

She was on him immediately, holding his hand and shaking his arm to drive away the stupor that was frightening her so.

"Maria…?" He moved his head the barest fraction of an inch, for the first time acknowledging that there was even someone in the same room with him.

Her face was by now nearly as pale as his, all rose-coloured cheeriness from the chocolates and the fun night with Shadow drained by the image of the ghostly figure sitting in front of her.

"Professor? Professor, what´s wrong?" The hedgehog was now by his side as well, his hands lying on the leg of the old man, his voice as worried as Maria´s.

Gerald turned his head to look at Shadow, too, but as soon as he actually seemed to recognize the Ultimate Lifeform, he let out a strangled moan and covered his face with his hands.

"_WHAT HAVE I DONE!_ " he suddenly cried out.

Both Maria and Shadow exchanged a glance, now truly frightened.

"Grandfather! Please, calm down!"

"I HAVE BEEN A FOOL! his voice thundered through the room, containing fury, pain and even fear all at once, letting Maria feel sick to the core.

Then, as sudden as the outburst had come it was over and Gerald collapsed upon his desk, his head in his hands, shaking.

"Maria, Shadow…please forgive me…"

The two friends were confused and near panicking. Was the old man delirious?

"Grandpa, everything´s okay…we´re here now…you can tell us what has happened…" Maria was trying to soothe him, rubbing his back, while Shadow had run off to get a glass of water, remembering how it had also helped him when he had been in a state of near-hysterics all those months ago.

Finally, Gerald took a deep breath and looked up. His lined, aged face fixed upon both of them with difficulty and the scientist seemed to prepare himself to face something he was more than afraid of. Shadow arrived back with a drink drawn from a sink and as the old man saw this, his face showed for a brief instant an incredibly painful tenderness before he nearly broke down again.

"Thank you, Shadow, thank you very much…you don´t deserve this, noone deserves this and it´s all my fault…"

An uneasy feeling had started to tingle at the back of the hedgehog´s skull and hearing such remarks just made it worse. Maria picked up on his mood, however, and tried to calm her grandfather sufficiently down so they could finally find out what was bothering him so much and how they could help to ease their own worries.

"Here, drink it and you´ll feel better, right?" She forced a smile in an attempt to reassure him and handed him the glass, which he accepted gratefully.

"Oh, Maria…nothing can help me now…but you at least have to know what has happened. Listen to this story of an old man´s idiocy…"

He took a small sip and started:

"I had never realised nor cared why GUN and the conservatives had wanted to finance this space station in the first place. I believed they were interested in _research_ and _science_!" he scoffed.

"I was blind to what should have been obvious. The opposition, those war-crazed maniacs, supported me and they were only _waiting_ for their chance, _playing_ with me! And now…"

The hand with the glass had started trembling. "…now they have seized power and finally show their true intentions. And there´s noone who can stop them, short of an election that will come, when, in a few years?!"

He looked away miserably.

"But grandpa, you haven´t explained _anything!_ What does it mean for us, and why does it matter up here? And what was that about Shadow?" It was clear from her tone that the last question was obviously the one most important to her and and Gerald only screwed up his face in pain.

"It means, Maria, that I am no longer an equal of the _General_, but a subordinate to _Commander_ Graves. And my research will now not benefit mankind, but _serve to destroy it!"_

he bellowed that last part, bringing his fist down hard on the table, causing both Shadow and his friend to jump.

"I am…sorry. But the fact remains, that I and my colleagues will now be employed to participate in the development of new weapons, at least part of the time. I´ve lost a lot of my freedom."

"But…surely we can just leave? You have told me that every university on earth would welcome a Robotnik with open arms! I mean…you and Shadow could go and I´d just…" she trailed off here, trying to keep her face straight.

"I would never leave you up here alone, Maria, and I´ll cure you no matter how long it takes. And as for Shadow…" he looked at the hedgehog and suddenly his stare held so much agony,

"…I am afraid that I am no longer at liberty to do with him what I want. He, along with all my other projects up here, now belongs to GUN. I am so sorry, Shadow, I can´t possibly ask you to forgive me for this…"

X--X

"Cute. You come with ownership papers?"

"If you don´t want to lose ownership of one of your ears, Sonic, I suggest you drop this at once."

When the blue hedgehog didn´t stop grinning, Shadow added: "Besides, you should be careful when talking about such topics. You never know just where those crazed yaoi writers might be listening. You don´t want a 'Sound of Silence' replay, do you?"

Sonic went very pale.

"I thought so."

X--X

* * *

whoo. Chapter 23 and it´s just about to get rolling. As to anyone who was confused about that last scene: It´s a reference to the fic 'The Sound of Silence' by Chaos Flower (who approves of its use) on this site. Summary goes thusly:

AU, SONADOW: 'When browsing a travelling slave caravan, Shadow, Lord of the NorthEastern Province, procures an expensive and undisciplined slave thanks to an unfounded whim. Little does he know what trouble he's in for...'

...three guesses as to who it is. XD Anyway, it´s very cute, even if canon!Shadow and Sonic are probably wishing it would have never been written. Also, ownership papers are proving to be quite the problem for Shads in that fic, so there goes the gag. ;-)

Please read and review, maybe Shadow-grams will have some comments to answer next time...(if Shadow wakes up from this humiliation, that is XD)

Thanks for reading!

**Next up: One last look at Freedom - Earth is beautiful, Shadow...**


	24. One Last Look

* * *

**Chapter 24: One Last Look **

„You...you were the _property_ of GUN?!" Sonic asked, incredulity and also a hint of darkness clearly visible on his face.

"On paper, yes. Humans sometimes have a funny way of handling things, don´t they…" Shadow´s voice was cold in comparison to Sonic´s, but there was no way mistaking the fact that this was a memory he was not very pleased to recall.

"I wish I´d have been there, I would have taught that Graves guy a lesson to remember on Mobians´ rights…"

Sonic scowled as he said this, and at the same time felt a very familiar feeling flooding through him, one he had believed to be buried almost as deep as his compassion.

It was the hot sensation of righteous anger and the blue hedgehog realized with a shock that it felt so natural, because that was part of what had started it, right? He had set out against…against _Robotnik_, and he forced himself to think the name without drowning in his grief this time, because of what he had believed was right. The Doctor had been imprisoning and torturing people and Sonic just hadn´t been able to stand back and watch or turn his back and flee…

..._and it was still there_. He thought he had lost it, when he wasn´t able to fight anymore, but that fury and the urge to set things right, had they now returned? His heart wasn´t soaked in misery anymore but burning with fire…

ooo

"He…_belongs_ to GUN now?" Maria was obviously just as shocked as Sonic.

Gerald inclined his head ruefully. "Yes. I´m afraid that under the previous government there was no possibiltiy to register artificially created life as a citizen, even if the subject in question happened to be intelligent. They didn´t wish to encourage research in that direction, see? Of course," he went on, his tone becoming even more bitter, "our _new_ president wouldn´t let me get Shadow papers, either, although for completely different reasons. You see…"

He looked directly at the hedgehog now, who had been staring at him blankly. The scientist opened and closed his dry mouth several times, apparently not even able to put those next thoughts into words. "Shadow, I can´t tell you how heavily this is weighing on me and how much I would crave forgiveness for my fault, but…your prime purpose is not healing anymore. GUN has now officially deemed you a future weapon of mass destruction and your preparation is to begin tomorrow."

Shadow felt as if he had just been dumped into a vat of ice water. That were the exact things Vincent had been predicting. Had he known all along?! Fear, rage and confusion were battling within the hedgehog who was now staggering backwards, his head in his hands, desperately trying to remain collected. He didn´t want to worry Maria…didn´t want to break down in front of her…_Maria!_

"Maria!" he finally uttered, breathless, "…will I still be able to cure her?!"

Gerald nodded, but did not really look cheered by the fact. "Yes. I and my colleagues are to continue the experiments on you – and we´re actually making progress – but a lot of your time will also be taken up by the new training the military wants you to be subjected to. I don´t even know whether you will be able to continue your lessons."

Shadow was struggling to come to terms with everything he was hearing, but there was one thing he knew for sure: he wanted to be with his friend as much as possible.

"I will! Please, professor, I don´t need much sleep! I can still continue to learn with Maria if we do it late at night, right? They can´t expect me to be with them 24/7, can they?"

Shadow´s eyes were wide, panic and silent pleading both mingling in his gaze. Gerald saw this and felt as if something within him was torn apart.

"I know, Shadow, but…the thing is, without me in command, it is not even possible for you to keep your freedom…"

ooo

Sonic felt white-hot rage shooting through his veins. He knew what Shadow was telling him all lay in the past and the black hedgehog was by now sitting quite calmly (and seemingly slightly amused by Sonic´s fury at Graves) opposite him, no traces of chains or handcuffs visible, but the very idea of someone unjustfully confined was repulsive to him. Freedom was what Sonic had always stood for, always fought for.

Suddenly, the house in which he had buried himself for months in didn´t feel as sheltering anymore but rather smothering. For the first time in eternity, the wish to go outside began forming in his head although night rain was now beating heavily against the windows…he hastily turned his attention back to the story, though, as he realized that Shadow had kept on talking.

ooo

"Grandfather!" Maria shouted, horrified. "Tell me that is not true! They can´t do this to him! You can´t let them!"

"Oh, Maria…Shadow…I don´t know what I _can_ do anymore…" the old man sounded incredibly weak.

"Shadow is your creation! Just tell them you need extra research time or something or, or…" she broke off, her voice cracking and quickly turned around to hide her eyes, while Shadow just looked from one devastated human to the other, at a total loss what to do. In the end, Gerald raised himself, seemingly with a terrible effort and stood.

"I…will try. I should still have some influence, I hope. Maybe, with a little luck, you can still see each other sometimes. I am so sorry I wasn´t more careful. I am so sorry I can´t give you more than that."

He had been walking to the door of the lab and paused in the frame.

"I think you will want to spend these last hours before Graves´s regime starts in earnest together. Shadow can´t leave my lab without permission anymore, but I will bring you a camp bed, Maria, so you can stay here for tonight. Good…good night…"

His hands were shaking as badly as his voice when he finally left the room.

Gerald returned once more to set up the cot, but no more words were spoken. As the door closed behind him, the two friends were sitting huddled against each other, their faces equally worried.

"Maria…they can´t separate us completely, can they?"

"No…never completely. My father once told me that friendship can never be broken by distance, time, or death. That was when I had to leave everyone to be first isolated in the hospital and then later moved up here."

She hugged him tight at this and he could feel his back fur getting soaked, even if she was making no sound.

"So…you´ve actually been a prisoner here as much as I am now, have you?" Shadow asked quietly.

Maria nodded. He tried to smile.

"Let´s have one last look at freedom then, shall we?"

xxx

They approached the giant window slowly. Slipping out of the lab had been easier than they had imagined; there were one or two soldiers patrolling, which was new, but mostly everyone else was sleeping, tired from all the exitement. Besides, Shadow´s new speed and his nearly completely silent method of movement were more than enough to evade anyone else still about. This room here was utterly deserted and they didn´t bother to switch on the light.

The blue orb that was shining through the window was enough illumination for everything they wanted to see.

Earth. Or Mobius, as the sapients called it. It spun gently beneath them, and once more Shadow felt his gaze glued to the planet he had never felt underneath his feet but had heard so much about from Maria and Gerald.

"Shadow…what do you think it´s like on earth?" his friend asked him suddenly, looking at him.

"I don´t know." He sighed. "You´re the one that was born down there. I have never seen it."

Turning his gaze back to the window, he continued almost to himself: "The professor said his life's work was dedicated to all of those who live down there. He once told me that the reason for his existence was making people happy through the power of science."

"Shadow…" her words were barely a whisper.

"I believed that. But now he says my purpose has changed – I´m to become a weapon! And all those history books of yours state that they bring nothing but sadness…" He hung his head and looked at his empty hands, as if hoping there was an answer somewhere.

"Maria... I just don't know anything anymore... and now I wonder why I was created if everything has changed; what my purpose is for being here now." He glanced once more wistfully at the planet. "Maybe if I could go down there, I... I would find the answers... maybe... Maria..." his voice trailed off, hopelessness radiating from every last word.

The girl could sense all the confusion that was threatening to drown her younger friend and tried to overcome her own sadness temporarily.

"Shadow, don´t talk like that. Your purpose is what you choose. And during all those experiments, you have always chosen to save. Commander Graves can´t change that. And one day," her voice was now sounding a lot more confident than she felt, "we _will_ leave this colony. You will have cured me and we will both be free. We just have to be strong. I can barely remember anything from when I still lived there, but…Earth is beautiful, Shadow…"

He squeezed her hand and nodded, taking one last look at that planet and then turned around, pulling her with him. Shadow silently vowed never to give himself completely over to the Commander and endure, until he could find a way out of this.

They hugged each other tight for warmth as they slipped into sleep on the cot, and while Maria was not worried that Shadow was strong, she was afraid they would change him.

But she would just have to hope.

xxx

In his room, Gerald stared sleeplessly into the darkness, thinking about the fact that Shadow would now become the warrior Black Doom longed for. And there was nothing he could do about it without disclosing his secret.

He was deathly afraid.

_To be continued..._

* * *

Well, poor Shadow, huh? Gerald never promised him a rose garden...but he did give him a sword.

**Next up: Never turn back - no matter what´s ahead. **

And if you read, please review! ;) **  
**


	25. Part II: Never Turn Back

**Part II **

**Chapter 25: Never Look Back  
**

„Shadow! Shadow, you need to wake up!"

The Ultimate Lifeform stirred feebly at the touch of a hand on his shoulder, trying to shake him awake. He recognized the voice that sounded so urgent as belonging to the professor and sleepily tried to get his body to obey.

The black hedgehog blinked as he gradually became aware of his strange surroundings – this was the lab of Professor Gerald where he usually slept but this wasn´t his cage…and something was keeping him from uprighting himself, too…what - ?

Shadow wrested himself around to see the thing that hindered him from moving his lower body. It was Maria, still sleeping, who had wrapped her arms around his waist, her head somehow nestled in between his backspines, which should have been an impossibility. But she still managed it in an unconcious, instinctive, seemingly desperate attempt to hold on to him.

_But why would she…?_

Shadow´s gaze froze as recollection hit him with the force of a dagger thrown at his heart.

Maria. GUN. Gerald telling them about the Government change. Loss. Captivity. And that final look at Earth…

"_Shadow!"_

The hedgehog´s head snapped round. His creator was staring into his face, his eyes wide and anxious behind those dark spectacles. "You have to get up. Quick! They´re coming to take you to training and I´m sure it wouldn´t be a good idea to let them see you two like this! Wake Maria and _hurry_!"

Gerald looked very nervous as he himself abruptly turned around and skeltered towards his desk where he started to shuffle papers around messily, apparently looking for some files he needed right now.

Shadow lost no time either, instead trying to get his friend to open her eyes and release his lower abdomen in the process.

He shook her shoulder gently, whispering her name, so as not to scare her. "Hey, Maria!"

"H-huh?" She opened her eyes, unfocused, but then recognized the black-furred face in front of her. "Shadow? Is something…oh no." The last words were spoken so softly, but held the same impact of freezing shock he himself had felt flooding him earlier. Slowly he nodded.

"I know. But the professor says we have to get up now, they´re coming."

As if to underline his words, there was a knocking at the door and the low, powerful voice of Commander Graves called out to them.

"Professor Robotnik? Is the experiment ready?"

"One moment, we shall join you immediately." Gerald grabbed the last of his papers, assured himself with a quick glance that both of his charges were out of the cot and had stashed the thing safely out of view, before he pressed the button that opened the door. In front of the laboratory stood Graves senior, a smirking and excited Snively, as well as two GUN soldiers, their rifles at the ready, apparently an escort. The fifth member of the team made Shadow snarl in barely concealed enmity.

"Hey, Maria!" Vincent waved from behind his father, "You´re coming, too?"

"You are taking the children?" Gerald asked at that, facing the Commander.

"Yes. After what my son has told me about the experiment, I thought he should be there to see it. Your granddaughter may come too, if she wishes."

"Told you about Shadow…? Will you cut that out!" The professor had repeated the words of Graves questioningly but interrupted himself as his gaze fell on the two soldiers. Both had their guns trained on Shadow who was staring at them defiantly but Gerald knew the mimic of the hedgehog well enough to know that the men were scaring him. "What do you think you´re doing threatening him!" he barked at them, the force of his own words surprising even himself.

The guards looked from him to the Commander, unsure of what to say. "He…it…the experiment was displaying aggressive tendencies!" one of them defended himself.

"Well of course he was, Vincent and he don´t like each other! But Shadow´s not _dangerous_!" Maria interjected at that, drawing the attention onto herself.

"He isn´t?" asked the other soldier, clearly confused. "So what´s with these?" He held up a metal collar and leash, upon which Maria gasped, Vincent smirked and Shadow flinched.

"Commander. I don´t know what kind of image you have of Shadow, but these measures are entirely inappropriate. I cannot cooperate under these circumstances." Gerald said, his voice low but firm, as he took an almost protective step in between Shadow and the group in the doorway.

Graves hesitated.

"Very well." He said at last, "I must admit that the security procedures have been instigated not by myself but by Doctor Snively, who, I´m sure, will in future do more research before advising me."

The smirk dropped off the small man´s face at this and Gerald was sure to hear teeth gnashing.

"At ease." The Commander addressed the two guards, before continuing: "If we could please proceed."

xxx

"May I ask where exactly we are heading for?" Gerald enquired as they were walking down the corridor, the signs on the walls informing any passers-by that soon the informal borderline that separated the scientists´ half from the military side of the colony would be reached.

"Room 550. The Training Arena." Replied the Commander and Gerald could feel his heart sink.

It was an odd procession for anyone who could see them walking past. Graves senior was walking in the lead, the professor striding beside him, while Snively was trying (and failing) to keep up with the longer steps of the two taller men. He had by now resorted to an odd skipping gait which meant that he was always, but not quite at the other side of the Commander and Gerald could tell that these erratic patterns where annoying the hell out of the gray-haired soldier.

"The Training Area? I know that you are planning to convert Shadow into a weapon-"

"National Safety and Peace-preserving Measure."

"…into a _National Safety and Peace-preserving Measure_," Gerald corrected himself, although his tone made clear that in his opinion the terms 'Safety' and 'Peace' in relation to GUN sounded like 'democracy' and 'humanitarian' in relation to 'Blitzkrieg',

"…but I do not think he is prepared for any battle simulations or training of similar kind yet. You must not forget that he has been raised solely for civilian purposes so far." He finished, hoping his even tone would hide his inner anxiety as they strode ever deeper into the confines of ARK. Behind the leading triplet were the two soldiers, Shadow trudging in between them where he had been told to. There were no chains or trained rifles, yet the impression of a prisoner was unmistakeable and filled the air.

"That was what I had thought as well." replied Graves, "But as it turns out, we were all mistaken."

"What do you mean?" Gerald asked, his voice hoarse.

The tail of the little procession consisted of the two children, walking next to each other but completely different in expression and behavior. Maria looked frightfully at Shadow who sometimes shot worried glances toward her, while Vincent strutted like a preening rooster, either grinning hopefully at his father who had his back turned to him, or trying to make eye contact with Maria who refused to look into his face.

"You are not aware of the potential of your own project, it seems." The Commander´s tone was low now. "But Vincent told me the hedgehog is quite the fighter already."

"What does he mean?" Maria hissed. Her head had snapped around to stare at the boy in question, who looked smug. His father continued for all to hear:

"The experiment attacked my son." When Gerald opened his mouth to protest at this and Maria gasped, the Commander raised a hand to silence them. "Apparently not on your orders, so there will be no repercussions, especially since no one was harmed. But Vincent told me of this encounter and now that the combat ability of the hedgehog has been confirmed, I will do my utmost to ensure he becomes of use to our nation."

ooo

Sonic sighed. "And that is supposed to teach me that using violence to solve my problems is wrong, right?"

Shadow shrugged. "If you want to see it like that. _Or_ you can take it to mean that when becoming violent, you shouldn´t be so stupid as to leave witnesses."

His fangs glistened in the pale moonlight as he smirked and Sonic shivered, again not knowing whether the dark hedgehog was actually serious or not.

"…you creep me out."

ooo

"You did _what?!_" Maria was now facing Shadow, her eyes wide and incredulous while her expression spoke of more than just shock – she was hurt.

Shadow had stopped and turned around half-way, biting his lip as guilt and resentfulness were battling behind his eyes.

"Hey, what´s the matter? Keep moving!" One of the soldiers on his side gestured impatiently.

Shadow looked away, ignoring the command. "Yeah. Yeah, I did and I´m not sorry for it. He insulted me _again_."

Maria covered half of her face with one hand. "Oh, Shadow…why? I really thought you´d know better than that."

Vincent smirked. "Well, he didn´t. Stupid mutant…"

"Vincent, shut it!"

"You want me to kick you _again_, human?!"

"Shadow!"

That last remark had not been by Maria, but by Gerald. The adults had watched the rapid escalation of the argument with confusion, only now realizing what tensions must have built up over time between the three young ones.

The professor gave Shadow a reproachful stare, which the hedgehog met with a sullen defiance, hurt feelings and fear overpowering any guilt he might have felt. In his book, Vincent had done the unforgiveable. There was no turning back.

"That is not what I taught you. You do not attack people." Gerald said, his voice even enough to betray the shock he felt inside.

"Wrong, Professor. The hedgehog will have to learn to attack the _right_ kind of people, that is all." The Commander cut in, his hand outstretched down the corridor, inviting like a prison guard. "Now let us continue."

The journey proceeded in silence. Vincent was gloating, Shadow was sulking and Maria wasn´t sure what she should do right now – her friend had hurt Vincent (which she thought the jerk highly deserved somewhere) but she was a pacifist at heart and the idea of using violence at all didn´t sit well with her. Still, she couldn´t bring herself to scold the hedgehog now while the unknown threat of what the future would bring still hung over their heads like a suffocating black gas cloud.

Shadow, for his part had been striding along with his head held high so far. They wanted to scare him, he knew that. But he also knew that running away was not an option. His resolve hardened. His childhood was over. Whatever they threw at him, he would face it head on. Never look back.

And as his heart pounded underneath his ribs, he hoped to anyone listening that he would be strong enough to live by that.

They were now in the military part of the ship and to Maria it was as if you could actually _feel_ a change of atmosphere…because GUN, in the end, was about killing humans. And here lived the people who did that. Shadow walking in front of her now also seemed to sense it - he had hugged his torso with both arms and his ears were flat against his skull. Only Vincent seemed to remain unaffected.

Of course, there were no _real_ differences visible from the half of the ARK they knew; the architecture remained the same, but the change was more subtle. There was no talking to be heard, no chatting groups of white-coated young men and women hurrying down the corridor, debating heatedly over their research. Just faint stomping in lockstep further off in the gloom.

None of the familiar smells, either – no food aroma wafting down from the kitchens, no stench from some experiment gone wrong with green-faced laboratory assistants hanging over the sinks. Just an atmosphere of sweat, dullness and fear.

No music. No professor boogie-ing through his facilities claiming he couldn´t work without his favourite bands, no cleaning service humming along to their mp3-player. Just stillness.

No posters. No things lying around, lost by some absent-minded scientist. No laughter.

Nothing _human_.

"I don´t like it here." Shadow whispered to Maria who quietly agreed.

They stopped before a metal door that was unlike the previous ones. It was not rectangled but arched and had no visible handles or even a number-pad. The Commander took out a small gadget that appeared to be a remote and pressed a button, upon which the metal started to ascend, retracting into the frame. Behind it lay darkness.

"The experiment will step through here." Graves instructed, indicating the two soldiers to step back. Shadow peered into the room nervously.

"Wh-what is this?"

"Your proving ground. You will go inside." The silver-haired man repeated, a new firmness in his voice indicating that refusing was not an option. When Gerald didn´t say anything that could possibly help him, Shadow nervously stepped into the blackness, his irises widening to adjust to the change in lightning.

"Wait, where are we going now?" Maria asked, slightly panicky as the door descended again, cutting her of from her friend while Graves was already moving on.

"To see and observe." The elder male replied. "_Veni Vidi Vici_ as Cesar put it so aptly, no?"

Gerald didn´t bother to tell him the quote was entirely out of context.

The five remaining members of their group walked around a bend in the corridor and ascended a small staircase that led to another room, which sported a huge window as its only feature. Maria walked over to it and gasped. The window didn´t show space. Instead, she was looking down into what could only be described as an arena.

xxx

Shadow had felt his throat constrict as the door went down behind him, leaving him completely alone in the darkness. He couldn´t make out any features of the room he was now in and felt around until he found a wall. Igniting his hover skates, so there would be at least some light, the hedgehog made his way along the border of the room. And then, there was dazzling, flashing, blinding light.

Shadow winced and shielded his face as his eyes screamed at the onslaught of brightness. He could now see where he was standing – it was a giant, circular room, with doors like the one he had just come out of lined along the walls. He spun around as a voice from a speaker boomed through the air.

"Training procedure initiated. First Stage."

Shadow craned his head back and saw a window up in the wall behind him – Graves was there, speaking into a microphone and next to him also stood Snively, Vincent, Gerald and – Shadow´s heart made a leap – Maria.

A door like the one he´d come out of opened and commanded his attention elsewhere again. Out of it came a young male soldier, dressed in what seemed to be protective gear. He wore not only a helmet and a breastplate, but also gloves, heavy boots and a strange kind of tubes enveloping part of his legs. The thing that worried Shadow the most, however, was the long staff he carried – slightly longer than the human was tall and held with the easy, almost graceful air of a skilled samurai carrying his sword. Shadow narrowed his eyes, trying to figure out what was happening.

The soldier stepped forward into the arena and saluted briefly into the direction of the General. "Reporting to duty, sir."

Graves nodded. "Very well. Your task is to attack the project that´s standing before you." The hedgehog heard Gerald´s voice mumble something at this, but apparently the Commander disregarded the scientist as he continued, "All attacks are supposed to be non-lethal, any damages not lasting. The experiment will attack you as well, but your orders are to not let that happen. I will end the training when the exercise has been completed. Understood?"

The black-haired young man nodded. "Yes, sir." He hesitated briefly as he took in the sight of Shadow for the first time, then seemed to come to the conclusion that no matter the shape or child-like size of the opponent, orders were orders and there to be obeyed. He took the staff in both hands, made a few experimental swipes at the air, and then advanced on the hedgehog.

xxx

"No! What are you doing, you´re going to _hurt_ him!" Maria had flung herself at the glass pane and watched a nervously retreating Shadow underneath her anxiously.

"Not more so than necessary. All our soldiers are trained in the art of the _Bo_, the Okinawan fighting staff. While merely used as a means to enhance fitness and coordination usually, now it actually serves a new purpose. The experiment will have to gain fighting experience and_fast _before we can train him to combat against more lethal weapons."

"His name is _Shadow!_ Have you any idea how inhuman you sound? You don´t even have the _right_ to abuse my grandfather´s scientific achievements like this-"

"Professor Robotnik, if your granddaughter continues to behave like this, you´ll have to escort her back to her living quarters. In this half of the ARK insubordination is not very tolerated."

A surprised shriek from below ended the argument as all turned their attentions back to the window.

xxx

Shadow was clutching his arm, a look of hurt and shock in his eyes, as the first strike hat hit home when he couldn´t retreat any further. Now for the first time the familiar sensation of anger drove a sharp knife of pain through the fog of fear that had been paralyzing him. He couldn´t help it – his opponent was twice as big as him! The soldier raised the staff for a second blow on the other side.

xxx

"Not much a fighter, is he, Professor Robotnik?"

"Of course not, that´s what I´ve been telling you!" Gerald couldn´t quite keep the agitation out of his voice like he would have wished – but seeing Shadow in pain actually hurt much, much more than he´d ever estimated, almost as if it was Maria herself. "I must ask you to stop this…please."

"No wait!" Snively was pointing downwards, "Look!"

xxx

The staff was soaring towards Shadow in a curve, ready to leave another, deeper bruise on the soft flesh…when the target had suddenly disappeared.

"What…?" the soldier frowned but then turned immediately, as he suddenly heard an odd swishing noise behind him – the hedgehog was charging, his eyes blazing even brighter than his shoes. The professor had told him not to use violence. Maria had begged him to be kind and forgiving. But now, his entire world had changed for the worst.

_Never look back. _

xxx

"Doctor Snively? In your plans for the Ultimate Lifeform you didn´t mention this. Explain." Graves commanded, his voice tense as they all watched the hedgehog suddenly take flight and then attack.

"It is…I don´t know…" Snively´s dry mouth was opening and closing like a goldfish´s, who had been asked to explain the dynamics of a bycicle.

"It is the power of Chaos. Shadow can convert it into kinetic energy via the processors in his skates." Gerald replied dully, knowing that Graves would find out eventually anyway.

"Fascinating. I want you to carefully research the applications, Doctor Snively." The Commander replied as they all watched the battle play out in the arena, all of them captivated, some of them repulsed.

xxx

Shadow charged. He was planning on attacking the soldier the same way as Vincent – swipe at his legs to weaken his stance, then deliver a forceful kick to the chest. They had disowned the professor, they had insulted Shadow and most of all, they had scared _Maria,_ and now they were going to pay. The hedgehog´s temper that his friend had already failed to contain all those months ago, now flared up even brighter, fuelled by rage, humiliation, pain and the desire to prove his youthful strength. His skates erupted into fire as he shot towards his opponent, unaware that he was playing right into their hands.

It took him by surprise when the staff hit right where he was going to be in seconds. His attack turned into an awkward stumble.

"Finally decided to fight, have you?" The soldier asked, dropping back into a ready stance.

And Shadow realized. This was no boy who was playing big and powerful. This was a man trained to kill.

"Yeah. I have." He replied and used the second of shock on the man´s part to launch himself high in the air, the boost from his shoes directing him at his target.

A swipe of the staff knocked him right back to the ground.

xxx

"Shadow!" Maria screamed, but her friend didn´t even seem to hear her. Below, the hedgehog just rolled and got right back to his feet, snarling. The three men next to her watched silently.

xxx

It hurt. It hurt a hell of a lot, but the Ultimate Lifeform didn´t even care. He raced at the man again and again, each time evading the defending and attacking blows of the staff only with difficulty or not at all. There was virtually no way through…then the staff came near him again and Shadow grabbed it with lightning speed.

The soldier pulled at it, his eyebrows raising in surprise as the grasp of the hedgehog turned out to be much stronger than his small frame suggested. Shadow prepared himself to use the wooden pole as a sort of lever to fling himself at the man – when the human soldier just lifted the entire thing with the hedgehog still dangling from it, and smashed him against the wall.

xxx

"Grandfather! Do something! Please!" Maria was grasping Gerald´s white clothing now, burying her face in his lab coat like she had earlier, when her grandfather had had to tell her that she wouldn´t be able to go back to Earth for a very, very long time. The old man was trying to soothe her, stroking the blond hair, but deep down he knew there was nothing he could do. In front of the window, Snively had a carefully calculating look in his eyes as he regarded the Chaos fire underneath the shoes, while Vincent was simply grinning as if his biggest dream had just become reality.

xxx

Shadow hissed in pain as he tried to open his eyes, the impact on the wall dizzying him. Blearily, the image of the soldier came into view again, as he raised the _Bo_ to inflict the final blow, a vertical strike to the head.

xxx

"_S__HADOW!"_Maria screamed as she was punching on the glass pane, as helpless as her friend.

xxx

Shadow raised his hand as if to ward the staff off, feebly.

"N-no…"

The wood connected with his skull and everything sunk into darkness, the muffled hoarse cries of Maria the last thing he heard.

_To be continued..._

* * *

Huh. Some of you already knew that attacking Vincent was probably not such a wise move, but who could have thought it would have such far-reaching consequences?

Well, things have changed for Shadow and Maria...this was probably the first chapter of the second part of the story. Perhaps a little bit darker than the first, (of course, everyone in need of something more cheerful is welcome to check out my second epic, 'Burning Arrow.' (grins)...) but never forget that I am mostly a humour/parody writer.

I don´t think this will ever become really angsty...hope to hear your opinions on this one, was it suitably dramatic/thrilling?

**Next Up: Escape! **


	26. Escape

_**Shadow-Grams**_

(theme music plays with entrance)

"Hi there, folks!" Sonic stepped up and waved, while Shadow stood in the background, eyes narrowed and not half as cheerful, but slightly perturbed.

"Where the _hell_ did that theme music come from?"

Sonic shrugged. "We borrowed it from the Shadow the Hedgehog game. It's basically 'All Hail Shadow' sung by hamsters. Don't look at me like that, wasn't _my_ idea."

"…I think I'll have to shoot someone." There was the sound of a safety catch being removed and Sonic immediately raised his hands. "Woah, woah, woah, no need for that. It was just an attempt to lighten the mood."

Shadow hmmphed, but at least put the gun back in his quills. "Fine. So, since we're here, why don't you get your feeble-minded address to our equally feeble-minded audience over and done with, so we can move on with the story?"

Sonic grinned. "That's the spirit!" Turning around to the readers, he began:

"Welcome to another chapter of 'Life'! We have right now a special edition of Shadow-grams put on, to highlight the fact that this fic today has been running for exactly a year! Of course we'd like to thank all of you who've came and read so far and are here to celebrate with us, and are the great guys responsible for over two hundred reviews so far. You're what keeps this fic alive! Well, and me, of course." Sonic winked, while Shadow in the background made another retching noise.

"Therefore, we'd like you to present you with the promise of more frequent updates in the future and of course, another dramatic and thrilling event soon to happen!"

"Thrilling for _you_, perhaps." The growling voice of Shadow was heard from behind the blue hedgehog. In the glass of his drink, ice cubes tinkled in shame at being so outclassed in chilliness.

"…_well_." Sonic continued, looking just a bit more uncomfortable, "What Shads wants to say is that in future chapters it could get just a tiny bit more dark. We'll also raise the rating to T, starting with chapter 27."

"My childhood tale gets a higher rating than my teenage game. Figures." The black hedgehog had his arms crossed and looked just slightly insulted.

Sonic frowned. "Well, we _also _had a letter from a reader that your frequent cursing alone would be enough for T."

"I'll damn well curse as much as I fu-"

"_Yes_, Shadow, I'm sure the readers know that." The blue hedgehog had zipped in front of the other so hurriedly that a mini sonic boom mysteriously eclipsed the last words of his doppelganger. "We'd like to keep _that_ particular lexic gem out of our fics, though, thank you so much. Anyway, without further (Sh)ado, we'd now like to present…"

* * *

**Chapter**** 26: Escape **

"Maria!" Gerald hammered on the door. "Please, let me in!"

He wished there would have been an angry scream that she wanted to be left alone. He wished there would have been sobs, as heart-breaking as they might be. He wished there would have been _anything_ other than this horrible silence.

"Maria, you can't continue like this!"

It had been a month. A month since his creation, Shadow, had been 'tested' in that accursed training arena and failed completely in the eyes of the military. A month in which neither Maria nor her grandfather had seen him, and an entire month where the girl had only been a shadow of her former self as well. She ate, when you left the food in front of her long enough. She let the routine check-ups whether her condition had worsened or improved pass over her, as if the doctors were nothing but ghosts, part of another world. She nodded when one asked questions and looked you in the eyes, but there was nothing behind those blue irises that looked back at you. Even Vincent had given up his daily visits. And Gerald was worried sick.

xxx

"Attack!"

The _bo_ rushed down once again with merciless force, but Shadow was ready. He winced as the staff connected with his forearm that he had extended for protection, but this time, he had sufficiently angled it to deflect the major part of the blow.

"Attack!"

And when the soldier raised his weapon for the second strike, Shadow was already gone.

"_Miss_! Attack!" Graves' voice barked from the edge of the fighting arena for the third time this match, and it was hard to make out whether he was displeased with the uneffectiveness of his soldier, or satisfied with the conduct of the hedgehog so far.

The _bo_ soared through empty air where Shadow had vanished, but was raised again almost immediately for another blow. The soldier whirled around to look where the hedgehog had gone, but this time, he was just a fraction of a second to late. Gloved hands clasped the edge of the staff with strength.

"Why, you-!" the young man snarled, intending to lift his weapon into the air and swing Shadow against the wall, like he had done weeks ago. Sharp incisors were bared in a smirk and without waiting for the man to complete his action, Shadow leapt as the soldier was swinging the weapon with the hedgehog still clinging to it. Aligning himself with the staff, the Ultimate Lifeform brought the tip of his blazing shoes down on the human's hand hard.

Graves' face was impassive as the man cried out in pain and let the _bo_ drop. Shadow clung to it with one hand and gracefully backflipped with the other, effectively disarming his opponent. And while the soldier was still clutching his wrist, the hedgehog had already grabbed the weapon as expertly as its former owner and rammed one end straight into the stomach of the injured man. The human doubled over and didn't get up again.

"End Fight!"

Shadow turned around deliberately slowly. His expression darkened even more.

"I defeated your subordinate. Give me one reason why I shouldn't attack _you_ now, human."

If the Commander was at all fazed by this, he didn't show it. "It would be your death, as you very well know, 2/23. The military has no use for weapons who turn on their owners. Take him away." The last words were addressed towards two other young men who now stepped forward from behind Shadow. One levelled his sedative rifle at him, while the other took a hold of the staff he was still holding.

"Release the weapon."

Shadow felt the familiar anger flare up in his chest, as he was enraged by his own helplessness. But there was also something else mixed in there...

Reluctantly, he let go of the wooden pole and let himself be led out of the arena, flanked by the two humans, both almost twice as tall as him.

Shadow was proud. Today had been his first complete win. No near victory, but defeat at the last second. No draw. Just pure and utter demolition of his opponent, without any damage inflicted upon himself. It was an unfamiliar sensation, to feel pride at having hurt somebody, but it was the first nice feeling Shadow had had in weeks.

"Don't you get too cocky, you hear me!" The butt of the rifle nudged him ungently on the shoulder and the black hedgehog instinctively snarled up at the younger human, who took a slight step back at the fierceness of his glare.

"Stop being stupid, man! You want to make it mad or something?!" His older colleague admonished, his voice just as tense as the other had sounded nervous.

"I- I can't help it! That thing was striding along there like it owned the place, I didn't-!"

"So what, maybe it has cat genes. One more idiot move from you around the thing, I'll report you to Graves."

Shadow didn't even bother to say something.

X--X

"Cat genes?" Sonic grinned. "That by any chance where that chest fluff's coming from?"

"You want your face in a box of cat _litter, _perhaps?"

X--X

He didn't know what exactly Graves had told his minions, but apparently it must have been something along the lines of Shadow being a cross between a dog and a parrot. Able to understand orders, and making human noises occasionally, but not able to think. So far, nobody but Graves and Snively had addressed him directly. And never by name.

Shadow shrugged. For once, this would hopefully work to his advantage tonight.

"Right. Time to get it back under lock and key."

The trio had stopped at the words of the older soldier, and Shadow knew what was coming now, and also that it was vital he watched. They were standing in front of a doorway - the doorway to his holding cell, to be specific - and several lines of purest cyan electricity crackled across the opening, preventing anyone from stepping through. It was extremely painful to even brush against them – something Shadow had found out the hard way during his first night in this prison. The older guard now punched a series of numbers into the pad that was next to the door. Shadow gazed at him wordlessly.

As the electricity flickered into nothingness, the younger one very nearly tried to nudge him with his rifle butt again, but the memory of the burning glare he had received the last time made him halt.

"W-what are you waiting for, hedgehog? Get inside!" he stuttered instead, pointing into the prison cell as if Shadow was somehow retarded and had completely forgotten where he had spent the _last_ thirty nights.

Shadow shot him another dirty look, then glanced at the keypad once more, as if he had all the time in the world, before finally slowly walking into his cell. He could almost feel the nervousness the men were radiating in his presence and felt just a little bit smug.

True, he obeyed most commands, if only to prevent trouble for the Professor and subsequently Maria, but he always did that with an air that suggested, that maybe, just _maybe_ he would decide at the last minute to rip out the throat of the person issuing the command instead. He had been trained, but never broken.

"Right. Just get that barrier up again, this is giving me the creeps." The younger soldier urged his comrade, while Shadow had turned around and was now fixing both of the men with his gaze, waiting to be imprisoned again. Another button was pressed, the electric rays flared into life, and within seconds, the Ultimate Lifeform was alone again as steps vanished into the distance.

Now red eyes were gleaming in the darkness, the midnight fur around them only occasionally illuminated by the random blue flashes of light coming from the barrier in the doorway. Shadow sat cross-legged in the blackness and waited.

xxx

"Right. Doctor Snively and Professor Robotnik, status report."

Gerald scowled behind his dark glasses. It was past midnight, everyone was tired, and this insomniac of a Commander wanted a status report of all possible things.

"Well, Commander, sir," the little bald man next to him began eagerly, giving off the impression of a very slimy puppy, "I have studied the results of Robotnik's experiments with Chaos Energy on the project, and-"

"Studied _my_ experimentation results, Doctor Snively?" Gerald cut in sharply, his tone hiding the slight shock, but not the indignation. "I do not remember you asking permission for this. Explain yourself."

The relationship between the two scientists had been going down fairly steadily ever since Graves had made them unwilling colleagues. The lab assistants usually present when those two were working in the same room were secretly placing bets who would be the first one to snap, or alternatively, get their remaining eight hairs or half of the moustache ripped off. Some of them had even reprogrammed 'Chaos Counter Strike' so it was now armies of roaring Robotniks fighting their guerrilla wars against squeaking Snivelys. There were only five people not finding the situation very amusing, and three of them were currently in the room.

"But of course, Professor. I thought since we were colleagues it would be to our mutual benefit if we shared our knowledge."

"It would be, Doctor, if any of your knowledge was actually concerned with making the world a better _place_ instead of annihilating the _better part_ of it." Gerald snarled, uncharacteristically surly. Snively pretended to have overheard the remark and continued, talking mostly to Graves.

"In order for the experiment to do damage to enemy forces on greater scale than hand-to-hand combat, I want to expand on the concept of his body being a converter for Chaos Energy, as demonstrated by the hedgehog's ability to skate."

"Indeed. Go on." The Commander nodded, sounding interested. Gerald felt as if pure sulphuric acid had just been gushed down his throat and was now dissolving his innards._ Chaos Energy…_

There was no limit to the possible destruction.

"I must protest! This is in no way a safe-!"

"Protest noted. Irrelevant. Continue, Doctor."

Snively gave Gerald one of his dirtiest smirks for a fraction of a second, before he continued:

"You see, first I would need Professor Robotnik's copy of a Chaos Emerald…"

xxx

A soft hissing noise three corridors away. Then, the sounds of three pairs of feet emerging. One of them slightly insecure, tired, dragging, the other one almost a hobble, and finally, the third…the even, militaristic stride of Graves, always the last man awake in the military half of ARK. The black ears that had been listening to these sounds moved slightly, as Shadow nodded to himself. He waited for some time still, until he could be sure that the Commander had really left. Then he stood up soundlessly and moved over to the brightly glowing bars of his prison.

In the left corner stood a basket with a blanket – the same people who had thought him to be no more than a dog had gotten him the exact bedding that was appropriate - and those very same people would now have been very surprised to see Shadow grab the basket, overturn it next to the door, step on top of it and stick his hand through the gap between two rays until his searching fingers had located the number pad.

_Idiots._

As he had his arm angled to reach outside the cell, he couldn't see the numbers he was pushing, but the basic square outline of any number pads was the same everywhere – a gloved finger trailed over the keys, counting them, before finally entering the same code the guard earlier had so graciously shown him…the rays crackled one last time and died.

Shadow stepped outside.

xxx

Gerald collapsed on his bed heavily. Snively was planning to harness the Power of Chaos for destruction via Shadow, while he himself was confined to dedicate half of his working hours for weapons capable of mass murder…and _then_ there was still the threat of Black Doom.

When would the alien return? What could Earth do when they arrived? Would it mean…_war_?

He bleakly gazed at the plans and blueprints of prototype weapons he had shown to the Commander today and which were now lying in a messy heap on his desk. At least Graves had been impressed…

_The last thing I need is for him to cut my research time for the cure even more, _it flashed through his mind. Gerald winced, as images of the threatening figure of the alien overlord appeared in front of his mind's eye yet again at this, pictures of dread almost overlaying the mechanic reality carefully sketched out on the plotting paper the old man was staring at.

Black Doom - and the cannon he'd been working on, powered by Chaos Drives - war with an alien race bent on collecting the Emeralds - the cannon was supposed to be fired from ARK at Earth, at troops and headquarters in hostile countries -

The thoughts were racing through his tired brain, circling and condensing like a black hole in his mind, where no ray of hope could shine through without being sucked in…

Gerald's head flew up where he had almost fallen asleep.

"Black Doom! If I modify the cannon…use another energy source, so we could cover a larger distance than just from ARK to Earth…then – then…!"

_We would stand a chance in case of invasion.__ By helping to fight them off I might undo some of the damage I've caused. _

Gerald rose to his feet, quickly crossing the distance to his desk, where the sheets with sketches of the weapon lay and stretched them out.

"Yes, that's it…the aliens want to use the power of the Emeralds, so this should mean that this same power can also do damage to their spacecrafts…"

His hand flew over the calculations that accompanied the drawings, correcting decimals and scribbling some equations down the side that even Maria would have found too complex to understand. Finally, the pencil dropped.

"Yes…" Gerald whispered, "If I can only find a sufficiently strong power source instead of Chaos Drives, then…then it should be effective enough to drive off Black Doom and destroy his forces…" a dizzy grin spread across his features, the same happiness coursing though his veins everyone feels who has solved an incredibly difficult math problem at half past two.

Graves would think he was working for him and his martial fantasies on Earth, while actually, the cannon was supposed to be fired into space…Gerald felt like dancing as finally, one of his greatest worries seemed to dissolve into nothingness.

And then his mind spelled out what would happen if the cannon _was_ fired at Earth still. The old man's grin froze as if a bullet had just pierced his heart.

_Utter destruction._

If he should really engineer this weapon to be capable of such firing power, you could literally blow up the entire planet with it. You could annihilate all traces of life, save for those aboard a spacecraft.

"And yet…" his dry lips mumbled into the darkness, "…I have no other choice…"

And even while his unsteady hand grasped the pencil once more, titling the revised plan "_Codename: Eclipse Cannon"_, Gerald could hear Dr. Strangelove laughing in his mind.

xxx

Shadow, however, was oblivious to all of this. The black hedgehog was skating through the dark corridors of ARK almost soundlessly, at a speed that would have even Gerald drop his notepad in astonishment. Before every turn and crossing, the Ultimate Lifeform managed a flawless stop, displaying a perfect control over his movements, the only thing he had been lacking a month previously.

Shadow could hear his heart hammering in his chest as he pressed himself against the cold steel wall, cautiously glancing around the corner to check whether there were any guards in sight. A part of him had resented the training that he'd been forced to go through, but another, new side of him had loved it, eagerly demanded more…and Shadow had a feeling that it was this _other_ side that was now navigating him safely through the corridors, this other side that had all his instincts on red alert and his body prepared for fight or flight at all times. His new, _serious_ side.

But it was the original Shadow who had the James Bond theme playing in his head and thought the whole thing was somehow incredibly cool.

_To be continued..._

* * *

Well, whaddaya think? Sorry for the long pause in updates, but by now this fic is up and running again, after I've been able to sort some plot points out. I hope you enjoyed and please review:D

(Cultural reference tidbit for the day: 'Dr. Strangelove' is the insane, weapon-crazed scientist from the brilliant anti-war movie with the same name, by Stanley Kubrick. It's about another weapon capable of wiping out all life and this gentleman loves the idea. I think Gerald has seen that movie and knows that the character Dr. Strangelove would find the situation of the poor professor hilarious. Young Shadow has not seen 'Dr. Strangelove', but instead prefers spy movies with explosions.)

**Next Up: Chaos Energy Part II - **It's a real _blast_..


	27. The Other Side of Chaos

Hi there! Sorry for the lack of updates, but this chapter is a long one to make up for it. Shadow has now been in GUN's 'custody' for more than thirty days, Maria has isolated herself, Gerald is forced to work on the Eclipse cannon, and even if our hedgie managed to escape last chapter, this new installment is going to feature a nasty climax...plus fluff. But the T-rating is here and you've been warned. Please enjoy! :D

* * *

**Chapter 27: The Other Side of Chaos **

Books lay on the table, their pages worn and well-used, but right now a layer of dust had settled upon them, as if they once had been loved but not been touched for a very long time…

Their covers were promises of knowledge, speaking of Physics, far-away stars, the mathematics of Einstein and of a brief history of time. Yet their owner had not opened them for all of thirty days.

Maria was stretched out on her bed, empty eyes staring at the ceiling. Somewhere inside her, a voice was screaming like a caged animal, desperate to break through the boundaries of its lethargic prison some other strange entitity had erected.

You're a Robotnik. Stop being more dead than alive. That's not what we do. You're a Robotnik, use your brain. You're worrying everyone. Stop being a princess in a tower, you're a scientist. You're a Robotnik. What would Shadow think of you?

_Shadow._

For the first time this evening, a subtle flinch stole across the pale, expressionless face and Maria pressed her eyes shut. She needed to do something. For herself, for grandpa, for _him_. But something in her had just given up – she was six years old all over again, she had to say goodbye to her parents and everyone she knew all over again, she had lost her friend, Shadow, practically her brother, _all over again…_

And the thin body continued to lie upon the bed, as motionless as the forgotten books, dead to the world except for the voice inside.

ooo

"Oh, the drama."

Shadow scowled, not quite hiding his displeasure at Sonic talking about his friend so lightly.

"You should know what it's like to lose a friend, Sonic."

The blue hedgehog's small smile immediately dropped of his face. He looked at Shadow for a few moments, and when he spoke his voice was hoarse.

"That was low, Shadow."

The black hedgehog shrugged.

"It was the truth. I know you're hurting, Sonic, but I won't pack you into cotton candy. And if you think Maria going into a catatonic routine after I was taken away from her is pathetic, then you should wonder whether locking yourself away in here was so smart."

Sonic's mouth opened, then closed, then opened again.

"Okay, okay, I get it. It wasn't. But why you have to pack all that into a story instead of, y'know, just _saying it_, is beyond me."

Shadow just smiled. Outside, a flurry of wind had ruffled the windowpanes, but it passed as soon as it had come.

**ooo**

A knocking. Maria didn't turn her head, although her brow creased just slightly. She wasn't completely sure of the time now, everything had been kind of meaningless for her recently, but she was quite certain that it was at least late after midnight…

The knocking came again.

"Gra-grandfather?" the words were almost a whisper, as if her tongue had to learn to form them all over again.

The door was hit a third time, and now Maria sat up. No, Gerald liked his regular sleeping patterns. Not him. But who…?

She could only think of a single person. Her voice returned.

"Vincent, _sod off!" _

And if her ears hadn't been so attuned to the eternal silence by now, she probably would never have heard the soft chuckle from outside at that.

That voice…she surged to her feet and her legs almost collapsed from their lack of servitude during the last month. In a frantic scramble the girl managed to support herself on the wall and finally punched the button at the side of the frame that opened the door.

"Hi, Maria…"

His crimson eyes shone with the twilight of the corridor. His tan lips were upturned in the special smile he had always reserved for her. He looked as if he'd never been away.

"…did you miss me?"

xxx

Hugs followed. Tears flowed and laughter pearled, even kisses on the forehead. Shadow was completely overwhelmed after his only physical contacs with other humans for weeks had only been vicious and painful. He gently hugged the over-enthusiastic girl and tried to calm her, only all too aware that her heart might just go into seizure.

"Shadow! I missed you so much! But that's kind of self-evident, isn't it…?" she had to laugh again, wiping at one of her eyes as she pulled him inside and shut the door. A part of her was still unable to believe that one of the greatest joys in her life had just returned, while the formerly screaming voice only gave an exasperated huff and asked whether that soap opera of mourning had finally stopped.

"How…when…Shadow, just what-?" words, all of the words that had been kept pent up in her for an eternity were now trying to pour out all at once and she almost choked at them. The black hedgehog smiled and moved over to her bed where he sat down.

"Come over here and I'll tell you all of it."

Still stunned, she obeyed, only unconsciously noticing that her friend somehow seemed to have acquired a slightly quiter nature over the last thirty days. That soon ceased, however, when he got his story rolling, though.

"So you want to know how I spent those last few weeks, huh?"

At first, they had tried to break him. He had learned fast to fight and to expect their attack patterns, so training with him could become downright dangerous if he wouldn't obey. But they had tried to force him into obedience. Oh, how they had tried.

There was scarcely a day when he hadn't been beaten unconscious or pushed to the brink of exhaustion when the training was done. (Though he didn't put it quite so brutally.) Hence why only today he had been able to remember that damn door code. Maria winced and slung a protective arm around Shadow at that, her face flushed from fury, but the black hedgehog managed to calm her enough so he could continue his story.

They had tried sleep deprivation, too. 'Nothing like it to get a prisoner to break down, and no physical damage', as Graves had put it.

"_What?!_" Maria had jumped to her feet. "That is torture! That man has to be arrested! I'll tell grandpa, I'll write to the Sapients' Rights Court, I'll-!"

"No papers for me, remember?" Shadow shrugged. "Anyway, you can only call it 'attempted torture', I think. After all, how can you deprive me of sleep when I don't need it…?"

His grin had now turned distinctly smug. Yes, remembering the freaked-out faces of the soldiers when they had only found him fiercely glaring at them no matter at what crazed hour they showed up to raise him was fun.

"Next they tried drugs in my food, I guess."

He guessed, because he wasn't sure. He had refused most nutrition, since he wasn't very fond of that stuff that came in the 'meow-chow' tins anyway. Whoever was responsible for that rumour of hedgehogs liking (feral) cat food deserved to be put through the meat grinder, in Shadow's opinion.

And once again, hearing Snivelly get yelled at because Graves was worried that Shadow might just die from hunger, had been highly entertaining. The Ultimate Lifeform had refused food just for that side-show afterwards. And when the little man had even started getting him the finest delicacies during the last few days in a fit of despair, Shadow had just sneered until the doctor had been nothing short of exploding.

His stomach had stopped complaining about the lack of edibles a long time ago, which was a bliss. The trouble with food was that it was addicting – whenever you ate something, you could count on it that your body just wanted more, after only a few hours' pause. But fortunately, even that ceased whenever he had stopped eating for more than two days at the most…and the replacement felt just as good.

For the entire time since he had suspended sleep and nutrition, Shadow could feel his body sucking up the ambient Chaos Energy instead now, as it was forced to live on that alone. It was a little bit like breathing, happening without you consciously controlling or noticing it, but going on all the same. Except it was all over your body, your pores comsuming it eagerly and sending it coursing through your cells, like a cascade of warm, prickling water from outside, that you were able to direct through your body as you pleased. Yes, that was Chaos Energy…a nourishing, omnipresent gentleness that filled everything it touched with life.

In their history studies they had also learned about a water god called Chaos, however, and Shadow had never understood how something so brutal, that had killed countless echidnas and other sapient beings, could possibly be connected to Chaos Energy as he knew it. After all, the fake Chaos Emerald Gerald had once shown him had also helped bring him to life, so just how could that same Chaos Power be a destructive, devastating force at the same time? It just made no sense, and Shadow still thought there must have somehow been a misunderstanding…

The hedgehog suddenly noticed that he must have paused in his narration and spaced out, for Maria tried to get him back into gear by nudging his mind with a half-sentence.

"And then today you…"

"Rammed that staff where the sun don't shine-" (Maria briefly wondered whether Shadow's stay with the military might not also have influenced his vocabulary a tad) "-and made my way to you as soon as they had gone to sleep. Didn't expect me to be able to read numbers, I guess."

"Wow. And they still haven't noticed you leaving?"

"Nope. Won't notice until 6 am, either, and by then I'll have gone back."

Her face fell. She had not thought about that.

"But…Shadow…"

"I have no other choice, Maria. Whatever happens to me, I promised myself that I won't leave this space station until you are healed."

She surprised him then, by pulling him into a hug far fiercer than before and holding him tightly. The black hedgehog stiffened reflexively, but then relaxed and started to stroke her back awkwardly as he suddenly realized that his friend had started to silently cry again. Whispered words reached his ears…

"Whatever have they been doing to you…? You sound so much more mature than me all of a sudden, you know?" she gave a strange, sad laugh. "What have they been doing to you…"

"Nothing bad, Maria," he whispered back. "Nothing bad."

And he forced himself not to wince as her hug tightened again, putting pressure on his hidden bruises and on all his broken ribs.

ooo

„They...they did all that to you?!" Sonic's slight smile had frozen while Shadow talked about the days spent with GUN. Now the hedgehog's expression was rigid and his hands trembling, clenching into fists.

"They just went on – the entire time? Breaking your _bones_?" Even his voice was shaking now, but not with sadness or fear. This was pure rage.

Shadow remained calm. "Graves thought it helpful. I wasn't as dangerous while injured, as just one direct hit to the broken ribs could pretty much floor me for the next few minutes. Plus, they said I should also learn to fight while in pain."

"_How - how can you talk about that so CALLOUSLY!" _Sonic had risen from his seat and was now staring down at Shadow, his canines bared and snarling. Jade eyes were narrowed and burning with fury as the muscles in his chest heaved, the whole posture one of flat-out aggression. For the first time ever since Shadow had showed up this night, you could truly see that this was really Sonic the Hedgehog, a warrior that once been capable of taking out entire battleships single-handedly.

"They _abused _you – _tortured you!" _his voice was loud, spitting some of those words like venom. "And…nobody did a goddamn thing to stop them." Sonic sounded hoarse now. The hedgehog was staring at nothing, his hands once again clenching and unclenching, snatching at thin air. "They never do. I fought against everything that's so wrong, all my life, and then, when I've already lost everything, it still never seems to _stop_!" It had started slow, but the last few words came tumbling out in a rush, and Sonic was shouting again, all his rage returned.

"People who do this," he suddenly rounded in on Shadow, who still had not moved from his place, but merely stared at the other without words, "People who do this, they, they – _deserve to die!_ I'll kill them! I'll kill them all for it, with my bare hands! They deserve it, they deserve hell. Robotnik, Graves, _all_ of them! And _you_, dammit, why do you just _sit_ there, why won't you at least SAY SOMETHING!"

Sonic suddenly grabbed the vase with wilted flowers from the table and hurled it at the other hedgehog with all of his force. It shattered against the wall behind the couch, the crash resounding in the sudden silence. Sonic's eyes widened as he abruptly realized what he was actually doing. His arms went limp as the liquid seeped down from the wall. It made a puddle to his feet, the blue hedgehog now shaking.

"Th-that vase was from Amy…"

He stared into the water, his own image glancing back at him and for a brief moment Sonic thought he could see in those green eyes all the madness and rage that still rang in his ears from moments ago.

"Sha-shadow…?"

"I'm here." A gloved hand was laid on his shoulder from behind. "You didn't even see me move as you threw the thing, did you? Rage usually has that effect…" the hand was now rubbing the blue shoulder slightly, but Sonic didn't even seem to notice, his face buried in his hands.

"Oh gods, Shadow, what…what did I just _say_? That…wasn't even me, it just…" the blue hedgehog's breath was coming raggedly, "…it just…suddenly seemed right…but I never…Shadow, I _never_ thought like that before! Just what's happening to me?!"

Sonic whirled around at this, throwing the other's hand off and grabbing the black hedgehog's wrist instead. The rage in his eyes was now entirely gone and had been replaced with a strange kind of helplessness, confusion and fear. Fear of himself.

Shadow sighed. The Ultimate Lifeform didn't feel that great either at the moment, but he could understand the tortured hero. The black hedgehog had actually wondered whether such a reaction would finally happen when he got to the more…unpleasant parts of his tale. Sonic was reentering his life and now finding out that not only the world had changed, but he, too, was not the same anymore. At least he had been able to get all that pent-up rage out of his system. Yet how the blue speedster would cope with that nobody could say for sure….

"…but it's right, isn't it?" Sonic had looked up after a few minutes of silence, his eyes clear now. "They don't deserve to live. Not when Tails had to die before he had even reached ten years."

Shadow closed his eyes. Had that been what he expected to happen? Maybe.

"I never wanted to take a life, ever. But maybe that's the only way to make all this stop – this torture and pain and all this _wrongness_." Sonic had sat down on the dry part of the couch heavily and now stared directly into the other's face.

"Shadow, if I try to go after Robotnik and avenge Tails, will you help me?"

Crimson eyes flew open.

"Do you really think you've changed so much that you now want to kill, Sonic?"

The blue hedgehog almost flinched as it was put so bluntly. He held Shadow's gaze, but his eyes suddenly weren't as determined as before. "…I…well, I at least feel like I want to do _something,_" he finished somewhat lamely.

"Well, that's good. Meaning, I'll finally get that race before we – or rather _you_, in my case – die of old age, yes?" Shadow asked dryly and Sonic frowned.

"That's not an answer to my question, Shadow."

"No. And I won't give you an answer either…or at the very least, not now. Have you ever even wondered what it's _like_ to kill, Sonic?"

"I…" now the blue hedgehog looked distinctly uneasy. "…sometimes. But…have _you_ actually ever really…?"

The black hedgehog gave a mirthless smile. "Well, with the way this night's going, you're about to find out, aren't you?"

ooo

"Well, what have you been doing during those last weeks?" Shadow looked up at Maria, smiling and trying to get at least back some of the normalcy of the friendship that GUN had tried to take from them.

"I…" now it was suddenly Maria who wished for a topic change. "I…"

"…'lost my speech' perhaps?" the black hedgehog grinned cheekily. "You're the one who usually spouts these five-syllable words…which reminds me, what have you learned at school, then?" Shadow asked, head tilted questioningly as he glanced at her with mild interest.

He had never been so ravenously hungry for knowledge like Maria, but had still been a generally interested student. Plus, he knew that the girl loved talking about everything new and exciting she had just read in her science book (and the Ultimate Lifeform had already managed to develop the Ultimate tune-out technique for these occasions, while still smiling and nodding, of course), so Shadow hoped that this tactic might get her to talk more freely.

Keyword: _hoped. _

"Er…not much, to tell you the truth…"

"How's that?" the young hedgehog frowned. Had she been ill and unable to study? Or had that mole on two legs called Vincent bothered her again?

Maria sighed. With Shadow at her side again, the last thirty days now seemed like a strange trance in retrospect…and suddenly she really felt rather foolish to just fold in on herself like that.

"Uh…well, I've got to warn you, you won't like this…"

The entire story didn't take long to tell, but even if Maria tried to use as many medical and latin terms as possible to hide from Shadow how exactly it had stood with her while he had been gone, the hedgehog's eyes became ever narrower as she spoke. Unfortunately, her friend was everything but stupid and while he didn't have as big a vocabulary as her, he understood most of what she said well enough.

"You have been in a near-coma for almost thirty days?!"

"Well, see-"

"You have refused _nutrition_?!" the hedgehog grabbed at his head.

"Maria, I at least had a _reason_ for not eating! And my metabolism can gain energy from the Chaos Energy that's everywhere, while I'm pretty sure yours don't!"

"But Shadow, I-"

"Were you trying to _kill_ yourself?!"

"I'm sorry!" she finally blurted out, "Look, I _know_ it wasn't that smart, I promise I won't do it again, I'm just so weak and I…I just…missed you so much…"

"Oh, Maria." Shadow had to smile again and stopped in his ranting and pacing her room a little. He shook his head. "Hey, it's okay. You're not weak. You're the kindest person I know and incredibly smart. Plus, you survived three years of Vincent before you even met me, so that's gotta count for something."

The blonde girl did not appear cheered. "But…now it just seems so _stupid._ You were the one who was imprisoned and you didn't give up but actually came out _stronger_, while I, I had all the freedom and possibilities and I didn't do _anything!_"

"Shh…" Shadow had moved over and slowly rubbed her back. "Just promise me you won't do that again, okay? And when I visit you tomorrow night, why don't you have a look at the textbooks again, and teach me some new things? GUN isn't exactly doing much for my education, y'know?" he smiled at her and was surprised how easily it came after all this time still, when he was just around the blonde girl.

Maria looked up and finally her lips curved slightly upwards, too. Shadow was still okay…GUN hadn't been able to truly harm him yet.

"I promise."

"That's good. And we still have half an hour before I should get back to their half…"

"Hmm…I could maybe give you a massage or something. You look like you haven't had your fur scratched in quite a while."

"Now _that_ sounds like an offer." Shadow grinned lazily and rolled over on his belly, closing his eyes. "…just make sure you leave my chest fur alone while you're at it."

"What was that? I didn't quite catch it…" Maria's voice suddenly had a very sly tone that didn't sound good at all.

"Wha - _no_!"

Once again play-fighting on her bed, truly laughing like they both hadn't for an entire month, it was as if GUN didn't exist at all.

xxx

"Maria?" Gerald's face lit up with surprised, unbelieving joy as he suddenly beheld his granddaughter in his laboratory this morning, wearing a fresh dress and an apologetic expression, looking up at him.

"Good morning, grandpa…I was wondering whether you would like to teach me again?" she smiled tentatively.

The plans for the Eclipse Cannon remained untouched for the entire day.

xxx

Gerald was in a happy bliss. Maria wouldn't say exactly what had had let her come back into the land of the living, (the two had deemed it better that the old man knew nothing, so he wouldn't get into trouble if Shadow was ever caught or else he would try to tell them off), but she had told him that she had suddenly realized how irrational her behavior was and that she didn't want to worry him anymore. Instead, she learned, played and smiled again, and even occasionally chatted to Vincent (or more often to Nate). Privately, the old man suspected maybe an internet boyfriend or something, but he didn't mind it if that was the case. After all, for all his troubles, Gerald was probably the one guardian of a young girl who _didn't_ have to worry that his granddaughter ever went out to meet some dangerous web friends. He still worried about Shadow, but knew from Graves' status reports that the hedgehog was in more or less good health, even if he hadn't seen him. At night, the guilt ate terribly at the old man, but whenever it was day and his granddaughter came to visit him…

No, as long as Maria was happy, everything (almost) was fine.

And Maria _was_ happy. She usually slept the entire day, save for the lessons with Gerald in the morning, then was awake when Shadow called in the night. They didn't venture out much, but instead she either read to him, he told her of his day, they played or squabbled, (Maria had borrowed a video console from Vincent, even if he was mystified why she wanted two controllers) or the Ultimate Lifeform showed a little bit off with new tricks he'd learned.

In his other life, Shadow was getting better and better, too, soon already able to fight against more than one opponent at once. But for some reason the odd looks of that Snively creeper from the sidelines were unnerving him. That guy stared at him as if he was one of Nate's brownies at lunchtime.

And Graves seemed to get impatient, too – was something wrong? Shadow mentally shrugged, evading another blow narrowly missing his ear with ease. As long as he could keep up his nightly visits to Maria, he did not care for much. If Graves had something eating at him, it wasn't _his_ problem, right?

xxx

Or maybe it was? Shadow frowned as he was once again staring at the walls of his prison cell. He had returned from what had maybe been his fiftieth secret trip to Maria's hours ago. During the last week, his friend had taught him a game called chess and while that girl was so smart that winning was usually impossible, he had at least managed to move the pieces too fast for her eye to see and thusly ensured himself a victory whenever she blinked. True, Maria had figured out his little trick after about the third time Shadow used it and afterwards proceeded to throw his own king at him, but they had still been laughing at that and so this wasn't what was bothering the black hedgehog right now.

No, it was the break-up of his routine. He had returned at about 5.30 am, expecting to be picked up and escorted to training at six, like always, but that had been a long time ago. And Shadow was _bored._ And worrying. Not a good combination.

So the black hedgehog almost felt relieved when he heard the familiar tread of human soldiers drawing closer. Shadow stood up and crossed his arms, preparing to greet them with his standard you're-not-Maria scowl. It nearly vanished in surprise as he saw that the soldiers were accompanied by a third man. By a third man whose nose could very nearly qualify as a separate individual.

"You here, human? What'd you bring this time, cream puffs?" Shadow allowed a smirk to cross his muzzle while Snively looked ready to rip his ears off. Then the small man seemed to regain his emotional balance, though, and instead merely barked (or yipped) at the soldiers.

"What are you doing standing there?! Get the project out! And you," he added, glaring at Shadow, "would do good to keep your mouth shut for today. I won't let you ruin my experiment with your inane babble, curse that Robotnik fool for giving you the gift of speech, what was the idiot even _thinking_…"

Snively's rant had degenerated into muttering under his breath for the last part, but Shadow's ears still pricked up at the 'experiment' the scientist had mentioned. Was that why there seemed to be no training today? The black hedgehog could only wonder as he walked between his jail keepers, and wonder even more when they suddenly took a turn that didn't lead to the arena, but instead to the science half of the ship.

xxx

"Yes, Doctor? To what do I owe the pleasure of this interruption of my work?" Gerald asked jovially where he faced the vidphone-screen in his office. His 'work' in fact had been less research and more playing Scientific Scrabble with Maria, (where he just had been able to score a solid 134 points with 'Quantumkinesis', a word he'd made up and hoped Maria wouldn't notice) but Gerald was still loath to talk to Snively at all.

"Well, professor, I just thought you would like to watch as I put my latest experiment on our project into motion."

"Grandpa? That word doesn't even _exist._ Look, if you can't lay anything better than a simple 'Quantum', then you should just take that and not-"

"Experiment? Do you mean an experiment on _Shadow_?" Gerald asked, not even hearing his grandchild's complaining in the background. Maria immediately fell silent.

"'Shadow' as you insist on calling it. Yes, indeed. We're in lab 404 if you would like to join us." The scientist with the green pullover smirked one last time and then the screen went blank.

"Lab 404 – that's where I store the equipment for my Chaos experiments!" Gerald exclaimed and immediately rushed for the door. Maria was at his heels in an instant, any games now furthest from her mind.

xxx

"Right. Professor Robotnik should be here soon," Snively confirmed to Graves watching him. Motioning to the soldiers standing to the sides of a confused Shadow, who was trying very hard to hide his rising anxiety, he added: "Secure him."

Shadow squeaked (and censored that part in the narration) as two arms suddenly grabbed him from behind and he was lifted in the air gingerly.

"Don't…don't make any trouble!" the other soldier warned him nervously while his colleague lifted the hedgehog onto a table. That in itself wasn't a problem…until suddenly the man behind him grabbed his wrist and Shadow was bent backwards and shackled.

"What?!" he started to squirm, but with one arm already tied to the table and against two men he had no chance. They quickly secured the other one and when Shadow still didn't stop struggling and kicking with his legs, tazered him once until he was completely helpless.

"_I demand an explanation!"_

Heads turned as Gerald walked in, looking furious. Maria gasped and screamed as she saw Shadow trussed up on the table and raced past startled soldiers to check whether he was okay.

"You bring children into laboratories, nowadays?" Snively wanted to ask, but stopped himself as he remembered that the brat of the Commander was around somewhere, too. Instead, he merely replied:

"Certainly, professor. What you see here, is my latest experiment. With the copy of the Chaos Emerald as focal point, we will charge the hedgehog with Chaos Energy to increase his power a hundredfold. It will be unstoppable. Able to wipe out entire battalions!" His eyes gleamed.

Gerald's gaze briefly flickered to Commander Graves in the background and then realized Snively was serious. The hands of the old man clenched around the scrabble stone he still held in his hand.

"That is madness."

"Shadow? Shadow, are you okay?" Maria whispered frantically to her spread-eagled friend and Shadow groaned, but then opened his eyes. "Maria…?"

"I, I can't get these bounds off, I'm so sorry-!"

The soldiers were looking at each other cluelessly, not sure how to handle this girl they had heard could become sick at a wrong touch.

"Madness? Hardly." Snively turned around and waved at the equipment, a huge console with more than a hundred Chaos Drives embedded in it, all connected to the central pedestal which held the Emerald. "I call it _courage_."

"Commander," Gerald tried his last resort, "You cannot have authorized this! We don't have sufficient data about Chaos Energy, it is unstable in its very nature and the risks-!"

"The risks are negligible according to Doctor Snively, Professor. I do not intend to stop this experiment."

"But-"

"And I must now ask you to retreat to the observation room as you would otherwise obstruct the work." Graves gestured to the door leading into another chamber connected to the lab through one wide window.

"Only my soldiers to prevent any escape attempts and Doctor Snively's laboratory assistants who will be conducting the experiment stay here. Your _granddaughter_ will have to leave as well," he stated, and while his tone was as level as ever, the slight narrowing of the bi-coloured eyes told Gerald that the Commander was more than angry at Maria's behavior.

The old man's back straightened. "If you continue this, Commander, it is upon your responsibility."

"I am aware of that."

Gerald's face had now assumed the colour of ash and he looked suddenly very old. Shadow could die here…and there was absolutely nothing he could do.

"Then at least grant me two minutes to check on my creation. You have denied me access for _months._" The professor didn't wait for a reply and strode past Graves towards the soldiers.

Pity filled his eyes behind the dark glasses as he saw Shadow and noticed how thin the hedgehog had become, even if his body was now that of a perfect fighter. The Ultimate Lifeform looked up as Gerald approached him and the old man felt a painful sting in his chest as recognition flashed through the crimson eyes and Shadow even gave him a little smile.

"Good morning, professor…"

'_Good morning'_, _you say to me, Shadow. After all of your fate being practically my fault, you still greet me smiling. I wonder whether these people ever realized who the __real__ monster aboard their spaceship is. _

"Good morning to you too, Shadow," he finally managed, but his voice was brittle.

"Grandpa, what – what will they do with him?!" Maria asked fearfully, but Gerald silenced her.

"Maria, please go to the observation room. I need a moment with Shadow alone."

The girl shot one last worried look at both of them and went, with Shadow looking after her sorrowfully.

"Am I going to die, professor?" the hedgehog asked, already second-guessing why his creator had sent his friend away.

"I don't know, Shadow. Snively is going too far. I don't know whether your body can take…there is a chance that you survive, but…" his hand laid itself on the prone hedgehog's belly and Gerald was suddenly fiercely reminded of how much smaller Shadow had been at his 'birth' almost two years ago. How he had cuddled up against his chest on that very first night…

"I just wish you had been born my son instead."

The hedgehog suddenly felt a lump in his throat and his eyes widened in surprise. But then, the Commander called behind them, and Gerald's hand slipped off his prostrate body, the old man turning around without a further word.

"Right," Snively's voice instead sounded out, coming through a speaker from the observation room, "Now attach the conductors."

Shadow was in emotional turmoil. He was terribly afraid as it sunk in that he just might be killed now, ashamed at his helpless position, but at the same time he also felt strangely warm from the words of the professor…he jerked as a cold disc suddenly made contact with one of his sides.

It looked a little bit like the Chaos Detector Gerald had sometimes used on him, but this one was different – a wire extended from it to the console that also held the Drives and the Emerald. The four lab assistants that were still in the room now took off his shoes and gloves and applied ever more of them. The discs sucked up automatically, clinging to his ribcage, feet, lower abdomen and forehead, _everywhere_, like leeches. Shadow squirmed again as fear now took over, but his holds were unbreakable.

"No…" he pleaded now, twisting his head to look to the observation room where Maria, Gerald, Graves, Vincent and Snively regarded him, much like months ago in the arena…

He couldn't bear to see their faces anymore and instead focused on the ceiling, determined to at least keep a straight face. No matter how bad it might hurt, he would try to hide that from Maria. Plus, he wouldn't give Vincent or that Snively guy the satisfaction, either.

"Doctor Snively, sir? The conductors are in place," one of the lab assistants, a young black-haired man announced.

Shadow's breathing began to quicken, afraid now. Whatever they were doing, it was going to start any second. Unwanted images of the 'Dead Man Walking' movie he had watched in late-night TV came into his mind and he squeezed his eyes shut to keep from crying in fear.

"Very good. Start procedure…now."

One of the lab assistants, this one a beautiful red-haired woman, nodded and pulled a lever. At Shadow's side, the console began to hum, the Chaos Drives and Emerald abruptly alight.

The hedgehog's eyes opened slowly, cautiously. This didn't hurt…it was just slightly uncomfortable. Chaos Energy was now pouring into his body uninvited, entering him by force through all of these little discs. Why were they doing this? Wasn't he already strong enough? But he wouldn't complain if all they wanted to do was give him some more power…

"Second stage."

Shadow gasped. Now suddenly the flow of Chaos Energy was a lot stronger than before and had started to lose its gentleness. His chest went up und down rapidly as the power was coursing through his body like electricity, filling up his natural cashes until they were fit to burst. This was starting to become too much…

"S-stop!" he managed to choke out, but none of the scientists cared for him. Shadow squirmed and bucked on the table, just trying to escape those canals that fed ever more energy into him, but there was no way out.

"Third stage."

Shadow's face suddenly contorted in pain, even if he tried everything he could do to prevent it. Now the energy was not warm, but _hot_ and scorching, tearing through his organs and ripping him apart from within. It seemed to be furious that it was now confined in such a small body instead of being free and searched for a way out, destroying everything in its wake.Hot tears made their way down a terrified Shadow's cheeks as he was more scared and more in pain than he had ever been in his life. And still they continued to pump the Energy into his body, bursting every single vessel inside. This wasn't the gentle Chaos he knew, this was hostile and angry, vicious and wild, ripping him to shreds without caring.

"_Please_! I can't – I can't _take_-!"

"Final Stage."

This time, Shadow screamed.

It was all hell broken loose, literally. Shadow's body had reached its limits as he cried out in agony and the Chaos was unleashed. For the scientists watching it was as if the small black form had suddenly exploded. Red Chaos Energy blossomed outwards in a lethal blast and the Emerald shattered into a million pieces as the restraints, the tables, the console and human bodies were torn to shreds.

This night, Shadow didn't visit Maria.

_To be continued..._

* * *

Heh, hope you liked! The next chapter should be here definitely faster, it's partly written already. Plus, anyone who doesn't want to wait (or needs some sugar stuff after this chappie;) ) is welcome to my one-shot 'Easter in SPACE!', which is part of this fic. Set approximately at chapter 22. Maria tries and fails horribly to explain to Shadow the non-religious meaning of Easter. :)

**Please read and review! **This was the longest thing I ever posted, so feedback would be _majorly_ appreciated...

**_Next up_: Four Rings To Bind Him**


	28. Murderer!

Okay, uhm, first of all, an apology for a slight screw-up - in the last chappie, I accidentally gave the wrong title. **Four Rings To Bind Him **will be Chapter 29. (drop) Apart from that, I was positively hyped because of the massive amount of reviews I got (only 'Wikipedia: Hedgehogs' chapters had more) so this installment will be just as long as the last! :D

Please enjoy and tell me what you think about it!

* * *

_For Ember Rock, a belated birthday present. _

**Chapter 28: Murderer! **

Maria screamed.

Everyone screamed, but her voice was highest and it alone pierced through the hellish symphony accompanying the pandemonium of destruction that unfolded before them. The observation window glass shattered, splinters shooting and soaring through the air, glittering beautifully in their lethal flight.

Gerald and Graves had instictively shielded their children with their bodies and thrown Maria and Vincent to the floor, while Snively was simply knocked off his feet from the force of the explosion. His body arched in the air like a tossed puppet, then was hurled against a wall where he lay motionless.

It had been an orb of searing, red light. Pulsating like a heart, blossoming outwards like a supernova, too fast for the eye to catch. The group in the observation room hadn't been able to see anything else. As for the six humans in the lab, it had been the last thing they saw in their life.

And then, there was silence.

Graves was the first to get to his feet again. Vincent wanted to follow, but the Commander pushed him down again. There was no need for children to see this.

Maria lay on the floor a little bit longer, shocked beyond belief, so she didn't notice her grandfather stand up. All four humans appeared unharmed, a few cuts from glass splinters and bruises notwithstanding.

Which did not apply to the people who had been in the lab.

Far off, alarms began to sound, but to the two adults overseeing this scene, they might as well have been coming from another world.

The laboratory was utterly destroyed. There were no scorch marks, but nearly everything else had the air of having been caused by an explosion. The consoles had huge holes gaping in their intricate machinery, the Chaos Drives shattered and blown from their slots, lying around on the floor in pieces. Of the papers, computers, instruments, only unidentifiable shambles remained. Two metal walls had huge indents in them, deformed from the shock of the blast.

And then there were the four assistants and two soldiers.

"So much blood…" Gerald's voice sounded brittle, the old man trembling. Graves said nothing. Of everyone present, he alone had stood on a battlefield before and seen men die. Now his breath came rapidly.

Corpses. Not even whole. Not even recognizable as _human_ anymore.

"There…there are only about five litres of blood in the average adult's body, how can there be…so much _blood_…"

A small trickle of red fluid made its way over the gray metal floor towards Graves. It was a thin stream, originating from a puddle forming around what used to be laboratory assistant Christopher Thorndyke, before he had been smashed against the wall so violently that the force had crushed his living body like a water ballon thrown carelessly in a playfight. The Commander stepped away before it could touch his boot. Glass was crushed underneath his shoe and the breaking sound penetrated the silence briefly, sounding much too loud in the stillness.

And then they heard the crying.

"Shadow!"

Maria, who had finally got up from her place on the floor limped through the rubble, Vincent unsuccessfully trying to hold her back.

In the middle of the room, restraints torn to shreds and dented, but otherwise undamaged, still stood the metal table. On top of it lay a trembling black form, red from his own streaks and the blood of the humans, curled up in fetal position, his laboured breathing and strangled crying the only sounds.

_"Shadow!_"

"He – he's alive?" Gerald for the moment was stunned. Maria was already over at her friend's side, somehow almost oblivious to the nightmarish scene surrounding them. Footsteps indicated that finally soldiers and scientists had arrived, summoned by the alarms. A young man collapsed. Others merely gasped in horror. Gerald thought he could hear someone vomiting.

"Shadow…oh, Shadow…" Maria cradled the smaller, black-furred body in her arms, her falling tears mixing with his. Shadow didn't seem to recognize her, squirming against the touch, but all his muscles were shaking so violently that he couldn't do much. If Gerald had been able to analyze this situation rationally at the moment, he would have recognized the typical symptoms of shock in this.

"Ch-chaos, it…it hurts…"

"Grandpa, he spoke! He's in pain!"

"What?" Gerald snapped around, the voice of his granddaughter the only thing able to rouse him from the trance of the death in front of them.

The Commander seemed to awake as well. He turned to the assembled starers.

"Everyone but medical staff and military leave. Clean-up will begin in thirty-five minutes, as soon as we have removed the bodies. Inform the head of the cleaning crew." He gestured to a young GUN official who stumbled away hastily, glad to be away from the reeking place. "I want a line straight to GUN command, now. Professor Robotnik, you – what are you doing?"

Graves stared at the scientist who had been walking to the door, Shadow's limp body in his arms, cradled like a child. Gerald was horribly reminded of that fateful night more than two years ago, when the hedgehog had cuddled against his chest for the first time, still drenched with the nutritional fluid of the tube. But _now_ Shadow was drenched with blood, smearing it onto the white coat of the Professor, a twisted, psychotic parody of that scene of birth, born from a nightmare.

"I am taking him to my laboratory. In your reckless experiment you ended the lives of six people and might have damaged my creation beyond repair. I cannot raise the dead, Graves," Gerald spoke, his voice hoarse and drenched with the horrors he'd seen, but underneath there was a resolve like steel, "…but I will do what I can for Shadow."

And with that he turned, Maria hurrying after him, both leaving the Commander before he could say another word.

ooo

Sonic had become very still during the last part of the story. When Shadow paused now, he looked up, maybe expecting the black hedgehog to be unwilling to continue this, as Sonic himself would have found it too painful in his position. The Ultimate Lifeform's face, however, was just as stoic as ever, not hinting at any terror or trauma. Shadow took a breath.

"You asked me earlier how I am able to kill. Here's your answer. I killed six humans when I was barely older than a child, without ever having a choice." He paused briefly, as if unsure to continue. "Some say it damages your soul if you take a life. Some say you can even see it in someone's eyes."

The crimson gaze focused on Sonic's face for dramatic effect and the blue hedgehog couldn't help but shudder. He had thought Shadow to be a lot more light-hearted, from the media coverage. He had never suspected that the 'dark and horrible secrets of his past' were actually a lot more dark and horrible than he had ever wanted to know.

"Is that what you want, Sonic?"

The blue hedgehog felt his throat constricting, but he did not drop his gaze to the floor, like he had done earlier so often. Slowly, he shook his head.

"…no."

Shadow, as if satisfied, nodded. "Good. I killed then, and those weren't the last lives I took, either. I'm not regretting most of the deaths I'm responsible for. It was their fault, usually, attacking me even after I'd warned them. And at some point you're past regret, too," he said, the last sentence sounding almost sadly wistful.

Sonic wished there was a blanket somewhere, for he suddenly felt very cold. But he couldn't recall where he'd placed them, because the whole house was a complete mess ever since Amy had stopped coming over…Sonic suddenly missed her.

Shadow seemed to notice that the other hedgehog had started to zone out, for he started talking again: .

"Personally, I don't think anyone should walk my path, but…" he paused once more, swallowing. "For some, it's too late. And as for you, Sonic…"

The blue hero's gaze snapped back to Shadow from where it had wandered.

"…I don't think Tails would have wanted to see you walk that road beside me."

Sonic exhaled slowly. For as soon as those words had left the black hedgehog's mouth, he knew them to be true. He had felt ashamed that he hadn't been able to take Robotnik's life after the murder, but, he realized, Tails would not want him to kill. Sonic had just needed somebody else to say it, but hadn't dared voice the question…

Outside, there was still not a single sign of the dawn, but inside, Sonic felt as if a ray of sunshine had just chased away a nighttime of guilt.

ooo

The way back to the lab, Gerald had told Shadow later, had felt like one of those scenes in a movie where crippled survivors are returning from the battlefield, only to walk through a country that had once been their peaceful home, but now consisted of frightened people, shattered safety, and tears. He was walking slowly, the steely resolve with which he had stood up to Graves all but vanished. The old man's feet were dragging along the floor as he was carrying his shaking creation in his arms, the smell of wounds and terror still not leaving. Hurrying people came running past him into the direction of the scene of the accident and their faces were the worst.

Revulsion.

Shock.

Confusion.

Fear.

Gerald knew he had to be looking like a butcher with his bloodied coat and a traumatized Maria clutching at his clothing from behind, but he also couldn't bear to answer any of the thousand questions in the eyes of the starers.

Some part of him was past caring. He _was_ a butcher. Raising Shadow to let him end up on the slaughter block.

But it was with all the gentleness of a newborn's father that he finally set the hedgehog down in his own lab, trying to let him be as comfortable as possible as he spread Shadow's patchwork quilt on the laboratory table first. The Ultimate Lifeform still had not returned to real consciousness, his eyes flickering open and closed, still curled up and whimpering.

"Maria."

"Y-yes, grandpa?"

"Please let the water at the tab run warm, we nee- _what is this?_!" Gerald stared at his granddaughter, aghast. The girl was standing there, trembling just as much as her hedgehog friend, tears running down her face and her teeth clenched and bared, but his gaze was focused at her hands. Crimson rivulets trickling down from her clutching fingers, soiling her clothes just like his own, her hands were clasped tightly around shards of the broken Emerald, blood-stained and cutting her skin wide open.

"I – I just took them…" she half-sobbed, offering them to him. Gerald immediately grabbed her hands, the glittering crystals falling down to the floor.

"Maria!" His eyes were wide now, and he dragged her to the first-aid kit as quick as his aged bones would allow. "What were you thinking!" Gerald proceeded to dab disinfectants all over the cuts, spilling half of the liquid in his panic. "Letting yourself get cut, all this other blood in your body – you could DIE!"

Maria looked at the floor, not saying anything. All she had seen was the broken Emerald and had remembered how it had brought Shadow to life, and how her grandfather had been so proud when he had been the first to successfully synthesize a Chaos gem all those years ago…

"I'm sorry…!"

Gerald was already busy applying a wound-closing foam. "You'll have to go to the hospital as soon as this is over. We'll need to run checks." His gaze was pleading as he finally looked into her eyes. "You mustn't do something like that, Maria. If you were to die, I would…"

_Go mad,_ flashed through his mind, but instead he let the sentence trail off into silence. Blue, wide eyes looked back at him, scared. The girl nodded quickly.

"Can – can we care for Shadow now?"

"Yes. Yes, of course. But you won't do anything. Sit there. I don't want you in contact with any of this nightmare anymore."

"But –"

"No, Maria."

_But he is my friend, grandpa! And…and I'm sick of being so useless…_! she wanted to scream, but was able to see that her grandfather could not take any more emotional stress right now or he would just collapse. So she just bowed her head in acceptance and conceded to stand next to the table, muttering soothing words to Shadow. She knew she was in possible mortal danger from her wounds, but by now, she was past caring for that.

Gerald turned around and got the warm water running, drenching pieces of cloth underneath the tab. Shadow was still lying on the quilt, breathing raggedly. He squirmed, but did not resist much as the scientist began cleaning his fur with the wet rags. Gerald was thankful for this simple task to busy himself, because he couldn't bear thinking at the moment.

Who was there to say that at any moment GUN wouldn't rush into the laboratory, taking Shadow away again? Who was there to say that the hedgehog would even make it through the night? Hell, who was there to say that Black Doom wouldn't return tomorrow? Who was to say Maria wasn't _dying_ right now?

Gerald's fist closed so tightly around the blood-soiled cloth that droplets of faintly red water made a puddle to his feet.

_If I have an IQ of over 300, then why am I standing before the ruins of my life right now? _

"Grandpa? I think Shadow's clean by now…"

Once more Maria's voice snapped him out of his mind's turmoil. She was even trying to give him a small, brave smile to show that she was okay.

Gerald looked down at the hedgehog. Shadow was now lying still, the rubbing of the cleaning process and the warmth of the water having calmed him. It looked almost like a peaceful sleep…

"Yes. You're right." Gerald nodded once more, starting to dry the hedghog off with the unused cloths and then starting to check for injuries of which he found none.

Hesitating slightly, he turned around to Maria. "Do you feel like going to sleep yet?"

She shook her head.

"Maria…today you saw things nobody should ever see, least of all a child. If you want to talk…if there's anything I can do – " _I failed horribly as your guardian. I won't even be able to look your father in the eyes when I see him. _

"I'll live. We'll get through this, grandpa. Together." Her bandaged hand grasped his and Gerald felt some of his despair suddenly being dammed and pushed back. He had always comforted her like that, earlier, when she had been the one crying and thinking her life was in shambles because of her disease…he took a deep breath. Maria was trying to be strong for him. And that meant he would not permit himself to give up as long as his body was breathing.

"Yes, my angel. We will."

She smiled. "I know. Robotniks don't give up."

And they didn't. Be it world domination - or saving the life of a friend.

With Maria watching silently, Gerald got out the Chaos detector again and ran it over the black hedgehog's body, his brows creasing.

"Snively has gone completely overboard. Forcing this expulsion reaction - Shadow's Chaos energy levels are incredibly low. I haven't seen them this unstable since his birth. And his body is so thin, too – haven't they even given him something to eat?" The scientist's voice was tense. Shadow's life signs were barely stable, his body always teetering on the edge of complete shut-down and death. Shadow wouldn't die of starvation under normal circumstances, but if you forced him to empty his Chaos cashes, that was very well an option. In the end, Gerald settled for hooking him up to an intravenous nutritional fluid, not daring to find out what would happen if he tried to charge Shadow with Chaos Energy again. He would just have to hope that the black hedgehog's metabolism could work with normal nutrition right now as well…

It was a long time that they stayed at his side, not knowing whether he would wake up again.

Both were silent as they waited – Maria was not tearing her gaze from Shadow, her face, usually open like a book, strangely closed, as if she was deep in thought. Gerald's eyes couldn't keep any focus for long, so he let them wander…until they rested on the remnants of the copy of an Emerald. The old man felt a new sting in his heart. The gem had once been an object of such great power, beautiful and one of his greatest successes – yet now it lay there blood-stained, broken by foolish ambition and maybe without chance of ever being whole again, a silent, horrible accusation resounding from it in his mind.

And as the minutes ticked by, Gerald didn't even know whether he was actually thinking about the Emerald or the hedgehog barely breathing in his sleep.

xxx

Maria woke up as something nudged her. Which was strange, because she couldn't even remember having gone to sleep…

Blearily, she blinked her eyes open and only now noticed that she wasn't even in her bed, but sitting somewhere, her head lying on her arms on a table – and the nudging thing was something black right in front of her face.

Azure eyes opened wide as memory invaded her mind like a tidal wave, carrying swollen things in it nobody wanted to see. But then, the body in front of her moved again, groaning slightly…

"Grandpa!"

"What?" Gerald turned around where he had been staring out of a window, sipping his fourth cup of coffee. In the last few hours, it had become quiet in the corridors outside, the whole ARK now as silent as a graveyard. Nobody had come and bothered them, for Gerald thought Snively was probably out for the count and Graves must have his hands full explaining things to his superiors…_and to the families,_ the professor mused sadly. So, after an eternity of silence, and brooding what would happen now, Gerald was quite startled to suddenly hear a human voice again.

"It's Shadow! He's waking up!"

The professor hurried over to the table, his heart rate now increasing. He had no clue what condition the hedgehog was in. Memory loss? Trauma? Insanity? Intelligence reduced to the level of a feral?

"Shadow! Can you hear me?" the girl asked gently, a hand of her lying soothingly on his forehead. The hedgehog's face creased and then, ruby eyes slowly slid open, unfocused pupils narrowing as she moved.

"…Maria?"

And Gerald thought he had never seen his granddaughter smile quite so brightly.

"Yes, it's me! How do you feel?"

"I don't know…" Shadow raised a hand to where Maria was touching his face and struggled to get up on his elbows. "I'm…dizzy…"

Then suddenly, he flinched as if something had struck him. "There – there was pain…" he mumbled, but his gaze remained confused, and he turned a helpless look at his friend and the professor. "…what happened to me?"

Maria and Gerald exchanged a look. The old man turned to Shadow on the table and tried to keep his face composed as he asked: "What is the last thing you remember?"

Shadow's entire body felt bruised and tender, so when the hedgehog moved to shift onto his side to face them better, the discomfort was clearly written on his face. Who had beat him up that badly?

"I…was waiting for my daily training," he managed, biting his lip as he tried to concentrate. "And then Snively came, and they took me somewhere…" the Ultimate Lifeform trailed off. "I can't remember. There was…heat. And pain." He screwed his face up at that particular memory. "…but then it's like everything vanishes in a sea of red…"

Worriedly, he suddenly looked down at his bare, outstretched body, as if to see it was still there. "Did they blast me with something? And where are my shoes?"

Gerald's eye brows were raised. Apparently, Shadow's mind had deemed the memories too horrible and shut them away somewhere safely. Not uncommon, when a young one had such a traumatic experience, but an automatic defence reaction…

"Snively took your shoes, but maybe I can get them back. And yes, you were right. They wanted you to fight against a robot, but it malfunctioned and exploded. You were thrown against a wall, hitting your head. I took you to my lab to patch you up."

Maria gave her grandfather a surprised look, but realised that the old man was trying to protect Shadow from a horrible truth. That he had been instrumental in killing six people.

So, when Shadow threw her a questioning glance, she nodded, a warm feeling of affection for both of them flooding her.

"That is strange…" Shadow sat up now, wincing again as his entire body not only _complained_, but threatened him with a law suit for smart money.

"Yes. Though I do need to run checks on both of you." Gerald nodded. "Maria has had a little accident, too, so I think I need some blood from her for antibody testing, while I would like to slide you into the scanner, Shadow…"

Both friends let Gerald, who had also studied medicine to a doctor's degree, take care of them. The old man was incredibly relieved when Maria's samples showed no reactions whatsoever, meaning she had survived getting her hands cut open without anything reaching her bloodstream. As the light of the tube-shaped scanner ran over Shadow's prostrate body, though, his eye brows raised even more as he studied the read-outs on the attached screen.

"That is amazing..." he muttered under his breath. "The Chaos Energy didn't hurt his inner organs at all. He must have acted like a battery, a catalyst, a lightning rod, storing and channelling that energy without taking damage himself…" the old man mumbled to himself, trying to come up with suitable comparisons and explanations to understand. Shadow couldn't hear them where he was still in the machine, but Maria looked at Gerald with morbid fascination.

_Black Doom's DNA must have rendered him compatible to Chaos even more so than I ever thought. I have never seen anyone being able to extract so much Energy from the Emeralds… _

The professor was still in deep contemplation as suddenly the door slid open.

"Professor Robotnik."

"Commander Graves?" Gerald could feel his heart clench as he turned around to face the tall man who had just stepped into his laboratory. The silver-haired soldier's face looked ashen and haggard, dark shadows beneath his eyes. It was obvious he hadn't slept for the last 24 hours. With him was Snively, a bandage around his head where he had been smashed against the wall, and eyes focused on the floor. Hiding in the backs of both men was Vincent, looking around nervously. A new pair of soldiers had stepped in behind them, lining up at the sides of the door.

"I have come for Project Shadow."

ooo

Sonic's stomach interrupted this tantalizing moment with a long, drawn-out grumble.

'Project Shadow' scowled. "You have to ruin everything, don't you?"

"Sorry". Sonic smiled sheepishly. The black hedgehog sighed. It was no wonder his doppelgänger's body was complaining. If anything, the ribs seemed even more pronounced than before now, and Sonic's sudden outburst some time previously must have drained energy reserves he didn't even have anymore. Shadow stood up.

"Come on. I can't tell my story when you're daydreaming about me as a portion of caviar with cream, so we're fixing you something to eat. Where's the kitchen in this place?"

"Uh, it's the door just behind the couch, but I don't really feel like…" Sonic began, unwilling, yet the dark hedgehog had already grabbed him by the wrist and pulled him to his feet.

"Kitchen. Now."

"Look, if I _say_ I don't want to eat anything, I _mean_-" Sonic, who hated being restrained in any way, snapped, trying to yank his hand away without success. Shadow briefly paused in his stride and turned a look at him. Well, there was some willpower and ego emerging, for sure. But still…

"Sonic, Maria used to starve herself whenever she got depressed. I'm not about to let you do the same." It was said in a slightly warning tone, but underneath, the blue hedgehog thought he could almost detect something like…caring? It was a long time since someone had cared for him, after he'd driven everyone away with his bitterness…

Shadow resumed their way to the kitchen, and to his annoyance Sonic noticed that he wouldn't even be able to stop him if he wanted to. The black hedgehog was stronger than him, and only now the hurt hero became aware just how much his body had degraded over the months. He suddenly felt embarrassed to be seen in such a state, and to his surprise, wished he could show Shadow just what he was capable of if healthy.

Sonic didn't resist when the black hedgehog forced him to sit down on a chair at the table and started rummaging in drawers and the fridge, continuing his tale from behind stale loaves and old cheese.

ooo

Gerald drew a deep breath. "I _believe_ enough damage has been caused, Commander."

Graves didn't look away, but his gaze flickered for a fraction of a second. "The funeral service will be tonight, 6 pm, in the assembly hall, if you wish to attend. But I have orders from GUN command that the experiments and training with the project are to be continued."

"You can't be _serious_."

The Commander did not reply immediately. When he spoke, his bi-coloured eyes did not make contact with Gerald's own. "I will fulfil my orders as GUN command sees fit. However, I have taken the liberty of removing Doctor Snively from the current project."

And with Graves, that was as close to an apology as you could get.

But then he continued, his voice stern. "Chaos research is to be intensified. I am afraid that you will not have access to project Shadow for another few months at this rate."

"Not a chance, human!"

Heads turned as out of the scanner tube, previously unnoticed by all, climbed an irate Shadow. Seemingly completely reenergized, he snarled at the Commander where he stood his ground. Everyone but Graves, Gerald and Maria flinched and shrank back. The silver-haired man narrowed his mismatched eyes, but one could see that even his frame was tense. Shadow was a serious threat if he wanted to be, and everyone knew that by now.

"Shadow, please-!" Maria began, but her friend cut her off.

"No, Maria. The professor needs me to work on a cure for you, and that is my purpose! I have been waiting for _months_, I won't wait months again! I am not one of your pathetic toy soldiers, human," He glared at Graves, whose lips had grown thin. "And I refuse to continue your training until the professor has had sufficient time for more experiments with me to help Maria. Got that?" Shadow felt smug. They should already have found out by now that they couldn't possibly break him, so they would have to give in this time, if they wanted him to remain useful…

"You freak! If you don't obey my father, you will be killed!"

Shadow's eyes, if possible, flashed even angrier. He'd recognize that voice _anywhere._

"If it isn't the weakling who tried to challenge me. Care for round two, Vincent?" he sneered, using the condescending tone he'd grown so adept at during the last months.

"NO!" The boy's voice was suddenly an entire pitch higher, and he positively shrieked, suddenly unable to contain himself. "Don't come anywhere near me! You…_murderer!_"

Shadow frowned as Maria gasped in the background. Gerald felt something inside him shatter. Why, why, why was everything always going so horribly wrong…

"What?" Shadow shot a suspicious look at the human boy who was still panicking. "What are you babbling about, human?"

Vincent wasn't even listening to Shadow anymore, but struggling against a soldier who was trying to calm him down.

"Murderer!" he shrieked again and again, "You killed all of them! You almost killed me, too! Murderer! Freak! MURDERER!"

Graves's hands had clenched so hard that his nails had almost drawn blood.

"Take…take him away." For the first time, his voice was missing his usual hard tone. One of the soldiers tried to lift the sobbing and panicking boy and started to half-carry, half-drag the son of the Commander out of the room.

Shadow wouldn't let go so soon, however.

"Stop shrieking nonsense, you idiot! I haven't killed anybody!"

"You did!" Vincent had managed to twist in the grasp of the young man and looked the hedgehog straight in the eyes. "Yesterday you killed four men and two women with your freak chaos stuff. I saw it with my own two eyes. You – _you deserve to DIE! Murderer! Mur_-!" His fit had returned, and he was still flailing when the door finally closed, leaving the remaining six people in silence for a moment.

"My son…is not so well at the moment. He can't cope…" Graves started, softly, but then suddenly broke off, as if becoming aware of what he was doing. His back straightened and it was as if a mask had been slipped on again.

"Professor Robotnik, I will take the project with me now."

"But Commander, if Shadow is resisting, you cannot possibly hope for your training to have any–"

"…Shadow?" Gerald broke off at Maria's voice. He looked down where his granddaughter was kneeling next to the hedgehog, who was now staring straight ahead, breathing hard, his eyes flickering.

"Shadow?" she ventured again. "Shadow, are you okay?"

"Did I…really kill them?" Shadow asked, sounding hoarse. "I didn't, right? I mean…" one ungloved, black hand pointed at Snively. "YOU killed them! I am _not_ a murderer!" he suddenly shrieked, sounding almost as hysterical as Vincent.

The small scientist shot the hedgehog a miserable, poisonous look. "Shut up, experiment. You know, I'm glad I don't have to work with you anymore. You ruined my experiment. If you hadn't decided to expel that Chaos Energy, nobody would have died," he hissed.

Shadow felt as if somebody had decided to dissect him alive and just cut his stomach out.

_Decided_…to expel the Energy? But it had hurt, it had _hurt_ so badly he hadn't been able to take it. He looked at his creator helplessly, pleading, begging, to contradict these words.

But instead of Gerald, it was Snively who spoke.

"Yes, you better believe it's your fault. According to my calculations with Chaos Drives and living organisms, the Energy should either have charged you up beyond belief, or, if things went wrong, fried you alive from the inside. No danger for everyone else."

There was a choking noise from the professor. Gerald suddenly felt utterly sick and could barely keep himself upright. He had not known this when he'd left Shadow bound and helpless. The mere thought that his hedgehog had been this close to a gruesome death with such extreme pain…Gerald thought he had never loathed Snively or himself as much as in this moment. And the man still wasn't finished.

"However, it seems as if I had insufficient data about your abilities to direct Chaos within you," the small doctor went on, bitter and not looking at anyone. "Which means, that you must have made the conscious decision to force the Energy out of your miserable self before it could either take hold or destroy you. If you had just complied, _nobody_ would have died!" Snively snarled venomously, then dropped into silence, obviously having said his piece.

"You…_you are a DISGRACE to science!" _Everyone but Graves' eyes widened. The old Professor was the third person to start screaming in this conversation, but he was a lot more impressive than any of the two young ones. Gerald Robotnik was suddenly twenty years younger and his usually quiet voice now resonated with a rage none of them had ever thought him capable of. Snively shrank back, irritated, but also the tiniest bit frightened and Gerald advanced.

"_You_ should never have been allowed to enter a university. They are places of _humanism_, which _you_ never grasped. Instead, it is people like _you_ who are responsible for countless victims in wars fought with nuclear weapons, it is people like _you_ who would invent a vaccine and sell it only to those who can afford it, it is people like _you_ who _take_ science and _distort_ it, _abuse _it_, it is people like you WHO SHOULD BE USED IN THEIR OWN-!"_

"_Grandpa_!"

"Professor Robotnik. Set him down."

Gerald stopped. He was suddenly becoming aware that he had grabbed and lifted Snively off the ground, while the younger man was trying to hide in his lab coat, only his nose protruding. The old professor was breathing hard. Slowly, as if he had to convince his clutching hands to return to their pacifist nature first, he lowered the doctor. Snively, equally slowly, stepped back, wide-eyed and pale. Gerald looked behind him where Maria and Shadow stood, both anxious and scared. Shadow spoke, hesitatingly, but whether that was because he was afraid that his creator might yell again, or because he feared the answer, one could not tell.

"Professor? I…Snively is wrong, right? I couldn't…I _can't_ have killed_…"_

Shadow broke off, but looked so incredibly desperate for Gerald to disprove the other scientist's words that the old man found he could not speak.

"Professor?" the black hedgehog asked again, his voice strained now, shaking.

But Gerald knew that Snively was right. _Nobody_ could force Chaos Energy into a particular direction through conscious will alone…nobody but the Ultimate Lifeform.

But telling Shadow would crush him. Gerald looked at the black hedgehog, battling for a second whether he should tell the truth or a lie.

And that second had been a second too long. His creation looked into Gerald's eyes and had already understood.

"No…" Shadow hadn't thought it was possible to feel even worse than when he had been tortured on that table. His original purpose, to _heal_, had been twisted beyond recognition. Vincent had been right all along. They wanted to use him for killing, and didn't care whether he got killed himself in the process. And finally, they had succeeded. For the first time in his life, Shadow just wanted to die.

Graves looked at the Ultimate Lifeform and recognized what he saw.

Child soldier.

The long-serving Commander had been on a lot of battlefields during his missions, and in some countries, child soldiers were still used, on the basis that foreign troops would hesitate to attack kids. And it was basic tactic for the men who drilled them to let them kill in the very beginning to make them obedient. When they had become murderers themselves, they didn't resist anymore, or protest against the crimes they were forced to commit. Graves remembered their empty eyes.

And it was the same look in the hedgehog's gaze.

They had broken him. Ultimately, they had broken him. By the most abominable method possible.

ooo

"Did…did they really break you?" Sonic asked where he was still sitting at the kitchen table, feeling his throat constricting again. It still shocked him on some level that Shadow was even able to _talk_ about events like this. The blue hedgehog hadn't given anyone an account of what happened in Robotnik's fortress.

Shadow poked his head from the pantry. "Do I _look_ broken to you?"

"Well…no. But-"

"Then for your information, I was. Completely and utterly. That night, and the nights that came after were one of the worst times in my life."

Sonic swallowed. "But, I mean – how come you…"

Shadow smirked. "I already told you: one can recover. And if I ever get this sandwich together, I think your stomach will agree with me."

ooo

"Sir?"

Graves' clouded stare cleared in an instant. Not turning around to his one remaining soldier, he asked: "Yes?"

"Um, shall we take the project away now, sir? Like GUN command ordered? Sir?"

Orders.

Orders were orders.

"Yes. Take him."

Not caring about the pronoun used, the remaining young man stepped through the open door of the lab and waved two more soldiers inside. Two of them picked Shadow up by the arms, while a third one tried to gently hold back Maria, who let out a heart-wrenching cry as Shadow was torn from her grasp. The hedgehog didn't even struggle as he was carried away.

"No!" Gerald made a quick stride to stop him, but suddenly a hand held him back by his lab coat and the soldiers vanished.

"Grand…grandpa…" a small voice choked behind his back.

The old man whirled around. "Maria?"

The girl looked at him, but her gaze was bleary. His granddaughter's face had turned a sickly white, with fevery patches on her cheek, and suddenly, she was stumbling.

"Maybe – maybe there _was_ some sort of pathogen in that blood after all…"

And that were the last words she said before collapsing.

_To be continued..._

* * *

Vincent insane, Shadow traumatized, and Maria sick. Lovely. Anyway, I hope you liked! Title for the next chappie is already announced, and I'm looking forward to hear what you thought of this one. Please review, and thanks for all your opinions! :D


	29. Healing

**Chapter 29: Healing**

Pain.

Shadow was vaguely aware that getting hit on the side of his head with a wooden staff should be painful, but he actually didn't care anymore. Let them hit him. He _wanted_ to be hit. He felt like he didn't even deserve to live anymore.

The Ultimate Lifeform was in the training arena again, fighting against five soldiers attacking simultaneously. GUN had reclaimed him following the fiasco with the Chaos experiment and training now was even more ruthless than before. He lashed out viciously, but there was little fighting spirit and a lot more hate and the wish to share his inner pain with others in it. The soldiers were by now heavily armoured when they took on the hedgehog, powerful kicks and punches able to break bones when not protected by helmets and padding.

But Shadow, in turn, had given up protecting himself.

Strikes from the five humans were neither parried nor dodged by him. The black hedgehog was fighting like a berserker, while taking every punishment the men dealt out, not even yelping in pain once. He blacked out when one of them wrenched his shoulder out of its socket with a lucky judo technique, but just resumed his self-destructive, manic fighting style as soon as he had woken up again.

He was _tainted_. Tainted, a murderer, a monster. He shouldn't even be _near_ Maria anymore. They wanted him to be a killing machine and even though he had tried to refuse, they had succeeded. So, with all self-respect and restraints gone, Shadow didn't care about hurting his opponents any more, just wanted to attack them, attack them until they killed him, because there was no reason for living anymore…

It was a strange trance that had settled upon the entire space station, and this surreal, silent fight was only one of its manifestations. Another one was the pale figure of Graves, standing motionless at the edge of all of these training sessions. Skin was stretching across his gaunt face, and when he walked, it seemed as if only sheer willpower and his gray uniform were keeping him upright.

There was whispering among the soldiers.

The Commander had been the responsible one in the killing of the two constables and four civilians. The families were not about to let this go. GUN command was highly displeased. When Graves looked at the faces of his subordinates, their trust in him was gone. And when he looked at Shadow fighting, he saw it had been replaced by their fear of this uncontrollable project.

xxx

Gerald tried to focus on the calculations for the Eclipse Cannon, but his eyes weren't seeing anything but the white face of Maria shortly before collapsing and the dead gaze of Shadow when they had carried him away a fortnight ago. The scientist groaned and buried his aged face in his hands. Sometimes he just wanted to give up. GUN seemed to be an invincible opponent, and he didn't know how to save either his hedgehog or his granddaughter at the moment. It was all hopeless.

Gerald had never felt so old.

"Grandpa?"

"Maria?" he whispered, raising his head in surprise. "What are you doing here? You need to be in bed…"

"But right now I'm fine, grandpa!" The girl protested, where she was leaning against the doorway of his lab, dressed in her white pajamas with a sky-blue dressing gown wrapped around her for extra warmth. "It only comes in acute attacks, remember? And right now I feel good…" she said, dislodging herself from her support at the same time as if to underline her point. Gerald only creased his face in a worrying frown.

He still wasn't quite sure _what _disease his granddaughter had contracted when she had cut her hands open on the shards of his broken copy of a Chaos Emerald, but it sure was a strange one, caused by some exotic virus. Fever was coming and going in waves through her fragile body, but while she was lying on her bed like a broken glass doll when it hit her, she was clear in mind and walking around as soon as it had left.

But the attacks were getting worse.

"Maria, maybe you really shouldn't be out at the moment," he said, voicing his worry. Day and day again, he had found her, poring over books and notes. Yesterday she had been lying passed out with her head on the keyboard of a computer, not even waking when a trembling Gerald had put her to bed. He had not told her how much weight she had lost.

"But grandpa…" she looked unwillingly at him at this suggestion and instead produced a folder with printed sheets from behind her back, opening it and showing him a page with various diagrams. "I really don't feel like sleeping now. And I have found these incredible research papers about Chaos Energy, too – but there's a few things which I don't understand and I was wondering whether you could explain them to me?" the girl asked, and Gerald adjusted his glasses as he took a closer look.

Chaos Theory in itself was a relatively new branch of science and Maria seemed to have gotten her hands on something that probably had been written mere days ago by a scientist lecturing at some Earth university. His eyebrows climbed across his forehead when he realized what level of knowledge Maria must have reached if she could even begin to understand what this text was about. And she had done that while she was so sick…

"Maria…" he swallowed. "If I stopped working on finding out what exactly is making you ill at the moment, and also suspended my work for GUN long enough without them noticing, _sure_ I could go through these documents with you, but…" he swallowed, the pride in his gaze when he beheld her now mingling with pain and worry. "…but you are not in the condition to put such strain upon you. Maria, why are you pushing yourself so hard? You are studying as if possessed!" he exclaimed, grasping at his forehead. Gerald was recognizing himself in her, saw in her his father and possibly his forsaken son. Every Robotnik had studied like this. The manic need of knowledge was flowing through their veins like blood.

But no Robotnik had ever been walking alongside Death since childhood.

"Maria, I'm worried you'll get worse if you don't stop exerting yourself in this manner."

She looked at him, hurt, yet at the same time did not crumble. Instead, she merely composed herself again, standing up tall once more. And when Gerald looked at her this instant, he couldn't help but wonder whether all his worrying about her disease had not led to him missing the fact that she was growing up still.

Y_ou're going on fourteen, now, my Angel. How many birthdays will you yet celebrate?_

"No, grandpa," she said at this, rousing him from his brooding, her voice not loud, but clear.

"You don't understand. I _need_ to study. Not for myself, but…we have to find out more about Chaos Energy!" she suddenly exclaimed, "It…it all went so horribly _wrong_ because we didn't know what we were dealing with before. The people who were in the lab, and…and Shadow…I have to help him, grandpa, I have to find out how Chaos works, I have to find out, that - that it somehow _wasn't _his fault, I…!" the words had gushed out of her like a waterfall and now she bit back a sob, but still refused to cry. Only two deep breaths, and her eyes hardened again as she looked at him to continue, now two flashing chips of azurite, as if daring the adult to contradict her.

"I _won't_ give up, grandfather. Shadow never did when he was taken for the first time, and I will not permit myself to break down now that he's gone for the second time. And _that's_ why I'll try to do what I can as long as I'm breathing." She looked at her hands. "I can't get Shadow out of their imprisonment by force and help him that way. I'm not strong enough and physically a wreck,"

- the old man winced at the words, knowing that the truth they held was painful –

"But," she said, and now her face for the first time showed a true smile, "my brain still works just fine. And I will use it to help Shadow, no matter how."

xxx

It was well past midnight when Maria had left. Gerald sat down heavily, sighing. He felt curiously light-headed. There had been no progress either on the currently needed antidote for Maria, nor on the cannon, or on the cure that had been his project for the past five years, but still…the old man somehow couldn't help but feel as if his soul, stretched across a reck for a considerable time, had just been granted a bit of respite.

His granddaughter had soaked up everything about Chaos Energy he had told her today, understanding the research papers she brought at last. Her mind was as sharp as a scalpel, as though it was trying to make up for everything her body lacked. And her determination to somehow help her friend Shadow, even if it just meant alleviating his feelings of guilt, was so strong that he had sensed how it had even dammed his own despair, igniting that spark of Robotnik fighting spirit in him again…

He gave the plans of the Eclipse Cannon one long look. Then, he brushed them aside with one quick movement, papers, pens and set squares landing on the floor with a sharp clatter.

The desk remained clear for one brief moment…until several heavy volumes connected with its surface, a dull thud! announcing that someone apparently wished to have very little sleep tonight.

"Right," Gerald said, sitting down in front of them with the look of a professor who had been lost in a jungle, but suddenly turned into a man with a fedora and a bullwhip. "Let's see how much of my study of Law Theory still remains." He opened the first book with the air of a true connoisseur, his finger running down the index before finally stopping on a single entry.

"Patent right. Just you wait, GUN. Justice may wear a blindfold, but she still carries a sword…"

ooo

"You know…" Sonic was staring at Shadow seated opposite to him now, one hand holding the side of his blue head up. "I still haven't figured out how you actually know what was going on aboard the ARK in scenes when you weren't even _there._"

Shadow gave him a long stare.

"…you're just seeking for an excuse not to eat the sandwich."

"Well, it _is_ stale."

Shadow started to glare.

Sonic rolled his eyes. "Okay, okay. But I still wanna know. Tell me and I'll eat the horrid thing," he said, poking at the food Shadow had put in front of him as if expecting the sandwich to move.

The black hedgehog sighed. "I wish you were more appreciative when someone cares for you. But it is actually quite simple – the Professor told me most of it later on."

"After the catastrophe?"

Shadow's eyes darkened. "Yes. A lot of the people aboard the ARK – the Professor, Graves, even Vincent, Snivelly or Maria – also kept diaries during their stay. In the isolation you experience in space you need something like that to keep sane. Most of them were stored somewhere on the mainframe and recovered later when investigations began. That way, a lot of the incidents that led up to the various mishappenings could be reconstructed. GUN wasn't too keen on the public finding out about some of them, but…what can I say? Ever heard of the Chaotix detective agency?"

Blue eye ridges rose. "Sure. Guaranteed to solve your case and drive you up the wall all in one go. _They_ were hired to clear up the backstory of ARK?"

Shadow merely shrugged, but at the same time was pleased. Sonic was talking almost like a normal person for once. He seemed to be so close now!

"Well, they were hired to recover the data in any case. Went up to the shut-down ARK, had a bit of trouble to find the computer room, as I have heard, but managed to find all the secret back-up discs still. It was only a matter of time after that until everyone of us knew what had been going through everyone else's heads. Well. Except mine, that is," Shadow finished, smirking once more.

Sonic gave him a quizzical smile. "So I'm actually privileged because I get the _full_ story, yeah?"

"…eat your sandwich, hedgehog."

ooo

Fighting. Dodging. Attacking. Shadow wasn't even getting tired anymore. For him, it was as if after Chaos Energy had so violently flooded him, now all of his defences against it were down and it kept blowing through him like a hot desert wind, carrying away any exhaustion, any pain or…feelings.

Once more he deflected a staff with a swipe of his arm, only to grab the thing at the same moment, using a power blast from his skates to wrench it from the human who had wielded it.

It came as a surprise when the man merely let go.

Shadow toppled over backwards from the unexpected missing resistance, and a kick into his side from the agile soldier followed soon after.

Shadow snarled and the Chaos within him lashed out.

Graves drew a sharp breath as the five men in the arena went flying like leaves in a sudden blast of wind. The pulsing red energy that had already taken the lives of six other men and women had manifested again, though this time thankfully in a much weaker version. The training soldiers scrambled to their feet, all of them mostly unhurt, but now scared stiff. The hedgehog himself blinked, as if unsure what had just happened, then slumped to the floor as the tranquilizer dart hit him.

Graves swallowed, his throat dry. Snively's failed experiment had rendered the project a walking time-bomb. How he was supposed to continue any kind of training with the hedgehog in that kind of condition, the Commander was clueless.

xxx

"Grandpa? Do you need those shards of your Emerald at the moment?"

"That depends on why you are asking for them, my dear Maria," Gerald replied, turning around in his swivelling chair and looking at his granddaughter over the brink of his glasses.

Completely oblivious to the troubles the Commander was facing on the military half of the ARK, Gerald was in an almost hopeful mood. He had finished reading up on the judicial practices that interested him and now was in the process of sending a letter to the Higher Court of Station Square, stating that both Graves and Snively had acted grossly negligent where Shadow as well as the lives of the colony inhabitants were concerned, and defended his rights of ownership of the Ultimate Lifeform as a patent. He was not entirely sure that GUN would indeed bow before a law suit, but it was worth a try. Plus, the feeling of doing at least _something_ was balm for his troubled mind.

"I just wanted to study them. Please, I'm not going to cut myself on them again."

Maria's strange disease seemed to have given her a brief respite, for attacks during the last days had been seldom. Which was a blessing, since he had not yet found a way to cure this most recent threat to her health. Again and again he wished he had Shadow here, because the superb immune system of the hedgehog would surely have found a way to counteract the virus currently giving Maria a hard time – a much quicker method than trying to dissect the viral genetic code as he was doing at the moment.

"…all right. You can have the splinters, they are of little use to me at the moment, anyway. But only if you promise me not to exhaust yourself in the way you have been doing it for the last two weeks," he said, knowing himself that hope was once more outwitting rational expectations, here.

"Sure, grandpa! Thank you!" She smiled, carefully taking the glass countainer that held the orange shards and preparing to carry them off to her room.

Gerald nodded weakly, sending his letter off at the same time with the hitting of the return key.

On the seventh day after that came the answer, and Maria finally fell deathly ill.

As soon as Gerald saw her in bed that morning, he turned around and ran.

xxx

"Commander Graves?"

The silver-haired man turned around, no sign of surprise on his face at the unfamiliar sight of Robotnik on this half of ARK. They were in the observation room above the training arena, a window permitting the view of the combatants. The professor himself looked sweaty, panting and almost panicked, continually shooting glances at the Ultimate Lifeform. The black hedgehog was currently battling against an old GUN mech, since training with humans was not possible under the given circumstances. Graves knew that this wasn't making much sense, since this model of robot was due to its limited AI no match for the hedgehog and therefore provided little training, but the Commander was at his wits' end.

"I need Shadow. Now," Gerald said, staring intently at the taller man, his words sounding a bit like someone who had just been bitten by a snake and was now about to rob a chemist.

"You know you are supposed to be working on the Eclipse Cannon," Graves stated, unmoved.

In the arena in front of their observation window, the battle raged on as if nothing was happening, but nobody had noticed that the black hedgehog's ears had pricked up ever so slightly.

Gerald hastily unfolded a letter. "I have filed a law suit against you withholding my property," he said, pushing the paper into Graves' hands, his motions jerky. "It says here you'll have to hand Shadow back to me."

The Commander glanced at it briefly. "That letter doesn't say anything yet, Professor," he replied, coolly. "It is true that you have been comfirmed owner by right, but GUN obviously entered an objection and the case is on ice for the time being. Under the current government it can be years until the hedgehog belongs to you again." He tossed the paper casually aside, the sheets landing on the console controlling the technics of the arena below. They now covered a small red light, rendering it impossible for anyone to notice that the microphone used for transmitting orders to Shadow in the arena was still switched on. Below, in the circular room, crimson eyes that had been staring dully ahead ever since GUN had taken him for a second time, suddenly flashed bright and focused once more.

The mustachioed scientist's lips grew even thinner and Graves for the first time began to grow irritated. What was wrong with this man? He was acting as if this was currently a matter of life and death…

Gerald shook his head. "You have to give Shadow to me. Now. _Please_, I…" he grasped at his forehead, apparently trying to get his thoughts sorted. "With Snively off the project, you need someone to help you with controlling the Chaos Energy of Shadow. I need him _now_ and offer you assistance in the future. Is that good enough for you?"

Graves scowled. "That is not for me to decide," he said, reluctantly, even though he thought anyone being able to assist him in controlling the project was not to be turned down at the moment. But orders were orders. "Suggest it to GUN command."

"Graves, _dammit_!" Gerald shouted suddenly, grasping the soldier by his jacket, "Don't you understand? My granddaughter Maria lies _dying_ at the moment and I need Shadow _now_ to save her!"

The Commander stared at the desperate old man. His granddaughter was seriously sick again. Technically, he had no obligation right now to hand the hedgehog over to him for help. On the other hand, it might be beneficial for GUN if they came to an understanding and the professor would consent to help with his Chaos research on transforming the Ultimate Lifeform into the Ultimate Weapon, something which he had refused when Graves had first asked him.

But this was still Robotnik. The man whose mad grandson was responsible for the death of Graves' wife. The man whose creation had all but destroyed the mind of his only son.

Bi-coloured eyes focused once more on Gerald, as cold as ever.

"At the moment, project Shadow is in the custody of GUN. He will remain there until you can present me with an official statement from GUN command that permits you the use of the hedgehog again."

The glass of the observation room shattered. Graves whirled around and a roundhouse kick of a hoverskate collided straight with the side of his face.

Gerald gasped. Before him, the blue and amber in the soldier's stare was replaced by white eyeball as the Commander collapsed like a ragdoll in uniform. Splinters of glass danced through the air like crystal rain. And amid them all was the figure of Shadow in mid-jump, eyes and skates aflame. The hedgehog dropped down from his kick atop the prostrate form of Graves, not even looking at his defeated opponent.

"We need to get to Maria, Professor. Quick."

Gerald nodded, as if in trance. Almost out of the corner of his eye he could still see he smoking wreck of the robot in the arena that Shadow had to have used as a jumping base. Such power…

He tried to force his suddenly dry throat to work. "Yes. She's already in my private laboratory."

"Right. Hold on," Shadow said. He felt like he had just woken up from a nightmare at the sound of Maria's name, only to be dumped straight into another one. If she was to die…

A gloved hand grasped Gerald's wrist. The speed they then travelled at fortunately meant that the human was not able to wonder long enough how Shadow knew every single shortcut and less-used route aboard the military half of ARK.

xxx

"Quick! Shut the door, Shadow!" Gerald called, motioning to the buttons next to the sliding frame. There had been surprised faces staring at them no matter where they had run and the professor knew it was only a matter of time until someone also discovered the unconscious Commander. And then GUN would come running and Maria could be dead quicker than a butterfly sucked into a jet valve.

Shadow stepped backwards surprised as hermetical bolts slid into place all over the door. "Professor?" he asked, confused.

"Quarantine settings," the human explained, his words clipped. "We need to seal this place off for at least a few hours until Maria is stable again. After that, come what may, but I need to concentrate now."

"Maria!" Shadow exlaimed at that, forcefully reminded of his friends' distress again. "Where-?" he whirled around, but the words died in his throat as he actually beheld her. The girl lay on a laboratory table like dead, pale eyelids fluttering in her feverish sleep.

Shadow bit his lip. He was suddenly aware of the fact that he still did not wish to go near her, still felt as if his very presence could contaminate his friend. Desolately, the young hedgehog stood next to the Gerlad instead, who was busily getting out various petri dishes and needles.

"Professor?" he asked, ears drooping and gaze on the floor, "What happens next?"

"I will have to extract some of your blood to isolate the white blood cells. When I designed you, I chose bloodtype O negative for you, since individuals with this trait are universal donors. We will inject Maria with them, and if we are lucky, your superb leukocytes are versatile enough to adapt to their new enemies in Maria's system and eradicate the virus before it kills her."

Shadow only nodded. It was an odd sort of irony that only after he had been violently torn from his original purpose, he was returning to it when it might already be too late. Wordlessly, he sat atop the second laboratory table and let Gerald insert the syringe into his arm. The old man noted with distress the dull, lifeless gaze of his hedgehog as he sat there while the blood flowed out from him into the thin, plastic valves that led to the machine that would separate the plasma from the cells. The white blood cells were then brought into contact with the isolated virus in yet another chamber of the installation, where the resulting antibodies were extracted and injected into Maria's arm, thus completing the circle, all powered by a small pump.

"…Shadow?" he finally said as the process was more or less running on automatic, his words of an almost painful kindness for the black hedgehog. "I just want you to know that I am very, very proud of you."

The answer was merely a dry, cynical scoffing noise, which surprised Gerald, who had never noticed that the Ultimate Lifeform had developed quite the derisive streak while their contact had been so sparse. Maria would have known better, but she was in no state to hear anything…

"It doesn't matter anymore, Professor. I am a weapon, and I will stay that way. My only purpose now is to _kill_," Shadow spat, his self-loathing for the first time uttered in words aloud. "Vincent was right. I am an experiment gone deadly wrong, a killer, nothing more."

Gerald's gaze softened even more, while at the same time he couldn't help but feel for the first time…frightened. Frightened of his own creation.

He had always thought of Shadow as someone like a child, when Maria told him of their games and excursions, someone who was basically good-natured, polite and trying to help where possible. The hedgehog who now sat before him, harsh in words, toned in muscle and ruthless in his attack against the Commander just half an hour ago, couldn't be further from that definition.

"Shadow…" Gerald clumsily put a hand on the hedgehog's arm that wasn't currently letting off blood, not sure how to show how sorry he was. If anything, Shadow in his current state would react to pity even worse. "Maria…has been doing research into Chaos Energy," he finally managed.

"She should stay away from it. It's…tainted. It taints everyone it comes into contact with," the Ultimate Lifeform replied bitterly, knowing at the same time that his life was pretty much permanently tied to it and trying to blend out the fact that without it, he would have already died of malnutrition and worse.

Gerald couldn't reply, his throat constricted. Chaos Energy had killed the six humans. Chaos Drives were used to power countless GUN robots, murdering wherever they went. And Chaos himself was the God of Destruction.

Was Shadow right after all?

"Just before she collapsed she told me something of a 'break-through'…" the old man mumbled.

"Hnh."

And then there was silence. Both scientist and creation had not much more to say to each other, Maria's struggle against death weighing heavily on their minds. The next hours were passed without words, Gerald worrying what would happen to all of them when he opened the laboratory again and Shadow still not going near Maria, even when her hand was grasping for support in her fever.

The black hedgehog was gazing dully at the heart monitor, not sure what he would do if his only friend died this night. His life wasn't even worth living _now_, after all, each pulse of blood flowing through his veins futile.

But when azure eyes opened again instead of staying closed forever, it was a fierce joy that pierced the Ultimate Lifeform's heart and reminded him, that yes, there was still someone who it beat for.

"…Shadow…?" she whispered, while Gerald collapsed onto a chair near her bed with relief.

She had survived! His only grandchild had survived…

"Yes, Maria," his hoarse throat managed, "He saved you."

"Where is he?" she asked, struggling to sit up, even if her muscles were still shaky. "Could you get Graves to release him?"

"Not exactly…" her grandfather sounded a bit miserable at that. Of course, he had sent out a few messages, explaining the situation and also that he would open the sealed-off laboratory soon enough, but he had no idea what they would do once he was virtually in their power again. Maria could be sent down to Earth again, or Shadow could be put down…

"Then what?" the blonde girl asked, confused. "Grandpa, then what _did_ you do to get Shadow?"

"I knocked Graves out and fled with the professor to this laboratory. They might kill me after this."

"Shadow!" Maria exclaimed as for the first time she noticed him skulking in a corner. "Did you really…oh, please come here, I just…I just want to hug you again…" she said, the joy in her eyes being replaced by concern as she saw the hardness in her friend's gaze that hadn't been there before. He shook his head.

"No, Maria. I'm only here to cure your most recent attack. You shouldn't even be around me…a _murderer_," he said, swallowing hard. He felt like he was torn apart by a blast of Chaos all over again. Everything in himself just wanted to be close to her, yet his mind insisted that he did not deserve that anymore…

Blue eyes widened. "But…but I disproved that! It _wasn't_ your decision to expel the energy – it was the natural outcome!"

There was a pause. Shadow raised his head again, painfully slowly.

"Oh Shadow, I researched Chaos Energy while you were gone, and…and it _always_ explodes when there's too much in one place and nobody to control it. It was a Chaos Blast - it was _not your fault_!"

The black hedgehog barely managed the last few steps to her bedside before he broke down sobbing.

xxx

It took a while to explain everything – not least because Shadow, who had himself under control surprisingly quickly again, (or rather, that was what he told Sonic, anyway) was still too exhilarated to actually _listen_ to anything Maria said unless she repeated it three or four times.

"It – it was a Chaos Blast, it happens when a lot of Chaos Energy is compressed into one space with the help of an Emerald, Snively couldn't know because we had never before accumulated that much before – Shadow, stop _hugging_ me, you're crushing my ribs! – I did a lot of experiments with the shards of the broken Emerald, I worked really hard – no, now I'm _fine,_ grandpa, no need to get sedatives – and…there's so many forms this Energy can take, it's incredible – Shadow, get _off_!"

The last remark was directed at the black hedgehog, who, now aware of the fact that he still was someone who deserved to be happy, was overflowing with relief and hadn't been able to get enough of Maria during the last few minutes.

"That is simply amazing…" Gerald muttered as Maria went into the details of her more complex theories. According to her, Chaos as such was neutral – only the way it was used determined the outcome. Shadow's body had a natural way of collecting the omnipresent Energy - the process happened without force and therefore was benevolent and supportive of his organism. When Snively had extracted the Chaos Energy from the Emerald and the Drives, he had done so using huge amounts of electrical power, which in turn had led to the catastrophe. Shadow had not been the one who had expelled the Chaos willingly – rather, it was a natural reaction that occurred when a lot of Chaos was compressed into a tiny space.

"Wait," Shadow frowned at this, "Today, I used 'Chaos Blast' or whatever it's called _again_. These GUN soldiers were attacking me. This time, I didn't kill them, though."

Gerald frowned. "Perhaps your body has adapted the technique of collecting a huge amount of Chaos Energy to release it in a blast as a defence mechanism. Given the nature of your birth, I am not sure what kind of instincts you may have…" he let the sentence trail off, not wanting to think about the fact that Shadow was also part alien.

"That makes sense," Maria nodded. "It was probably weaker because this time, there was no Emerald around."

"But…I couldn't even _control_ it!"

"Professor Robotnik! I ask you for the last time - open the door _now!_ That is an order," the voice of Graves sounded at that, distorted through the speaker system. Gerald had shut it off at the start of the operation but apparently, someone had hacked it.

"Yes," Gerald said, his voice grave now. "That presents a serious problem. And I think it's also what GUN wants to talk to me about now."

"GUN?" Maria asked, her tone oscillating between fright and anger. "What do they want _now?" _

"Me," Shadow stated. He slid off her bed and stood, facing the door. Gerald was surprised – he had thought the earlier Shadow he knew had returned when he had seen his hedgehog flinging himself at Maria as he realized he was innocent – but right now the Ultimate Lifeform looked as if that had never happened. Beside him now stood the same silent, fierce warrior Shadow had become under GUN's ruthless training, gazing at the still closed door with a cold glare that said he had not forgotten a single hour of mental torment caused by them through their false accusations.

_To be continued..._

* * *

Heh, long pause, but I hope you liked the outcome! This chapter was getting wayyy to long, I had to snap it in half (and find a new title for the first part;) )... More present Sonic and Shadow when I find the space for it, this is a solid ten pages. O.o

But anyway, if there's anyone of you who _hasn't _yet been asked, I hereby invite you to answer the poll in my profile (last time I ask, promise XD) which story of mine you'd like to see updated more often! :D So far, it's a draw between this one and Burning Arrow...

Thanks for reading and please review!

**Next Up: (Seriously, this time!) Four Rings To Bind Him**

* * *


	30. Four Rings To Bind Him

_Shadow Grams_

(Theme music starts to play with entrance, then is violently cut short)

The scene opens to the living room we already know, the '10 000 Hits' decorations somewhere in a corner, everything a little ragged and broken since Shadow's latest 'outburst'. At the loud crash from the side room that preceded the sudden end of the title tune, Sonic could be seen wincing.

"Geez, Shads, was that really necessary? Again?"

The black hedgehog stepped up next to him, dusting his hands off and shrugging, a few splinters falling to the floor.

"They tried to use 'All Hail Shadow Sung By Hamsters' for the theme music. A second time. I had to resort to some drastic measures."

"…right." Emerald eyes had widened slightly, but then the blue speedster's attention focused onto something else again. "Anyway. Some of you might have noticed that we held a little contest as to the most popular story on this profile – afterallitwasonlyannouncedfivetimes – and, inexplicably,this story won. For the second time, you all have no taste."

"Shut it, Faker."

"I mean, _come on!_ 'Burning Arrow' has wit, it has action, it has humour, and most importantly, it's about _me_! What do these people want?!"

"_Plot_, perhaps?" Shadow asked, his voice just cool enough to stop global warming. "'We All Go Looking For The Magic Rings' does _not_ sound like an epic to me."

"Oh yeah? Then explain why it worked for an entire trilogy," Sonic grumbled, arms crossed and looking away.

"But I would maybe also question some reader's tastes," Shadow stated at that, lip slightly curling as he looked once more at the sheets that held the results.

"Why? More than fifty percent voted for your 'Ramble of My Life' fic, didn't they?" the miserable hero asked, "That should be more than enough for you to appreciate your fans, shouldn't it?"

"Hardly, faker. 'Life could have been so different' might have been first, and your 'Burning Arrow, Wildfire Heart' second, but have you looked at the _third_ place?"

At this, Sonic glanced up. "No. Why?"

"Third came 'Once Upon A Time', Sonic. The story which I might add has us both in a romantic relationship."

"…no."

"Oh, yes."

"…no."

"Better believe it."

"I think I need an aspirin."

"Help yourself," Shadow sighed. "However, this story has also reached twenty thousand hits by now, which I am glad is a lot more than this fairy tale someone should be shot for. And I'll be the one doing the shooting. So, for all you pathetic humans who know no better way to spend their time –" – which was the point where Sonic returned, shoved Shadow aside and cleared his throat in the same second.

"- he _meant_ to say for all our Loyal Readers. Always gets these two mixed up. Anyway. Even if your taste in stories is _still_ screwed up (Burning Arrow is better!), of course we still like you guys," the blue hero said, giving his trademark grin and thumbs-up. "Therefore, we're happy to present you the next chapter after a month-long intervall: Please enjoy!"

* * *

**Chapter 30: Four Rings To Bind Him**

"There have been…a few developments of late concerning the legal situation of Shadow," Gerald said carefully, knowing full well that if he mentioned anything about 'Ownership' and 'Patent rights', Maria would probably be the second one today to try and knock Graves' out, screaming about inhumanity all the way.

_And I doubt said situation got any better during the last few hours when I committed what can only be perceived as theft, _the old man thought with dread. He walked over to the speaker system of the door and spoke into the microphone.

"Commander Graves? My endeavour has been successful. I intend to open the doors now and ask you not to run into a hostage commando."

"You ask for an awful lot, Professor," the silver-haired soldier's voice crackled through the system at this, letting them know he was standing just outside. "It would be in my right to imprison all three of you temporarily."

"…I know," Gerald said, unwillingly, "But that would not solve anything, would it? We will have to try to be reasonable about this. Neither I nor Shadow endangered any lives, contrary to _your_ actions. And I am willing to help you in return for certain…privileges."

"Open the door, Professor, and we will talk further."

With a last, worried glance at his two charges, the old man typed in the number code that would disable the quarantine settings of the laboratory. Shadow made a movement forward, murder in his eyes, but Gerald stopped him with a hand, shaking his head.

Graves stepped inside, eyeing the three. Around his head was a bandage, and Shadow received a stare normally reserved for mangy, rabid dogs. Then, the Commander focused on Gerald instead, and now Shadow also recognized that there were about a dozen armed soldiers outside, only waiting for a wrong move of him. 'Hostage commando' indeed.

"You have filed your appeal to the Higher Court claiming ownership of the Project. It has been acknowledged. But nothing has been decided yet, and your actions today were not only unorthodox, but illegal," he said coldly, his bi-coloured eyes narrowed. "How can you defend yourself?"

"It was a life or death situation, Commander," Gerald replied back, trying to keep his calm, but having difficulty, "My granddaughter would have died had I not taken Shadow there and then."

"Give me one reason why I shouldn't terminate your contract with GUN here and now."

The scientist only gave a weary smile that didn't reach his eyes. "You need me, Graves. The only one besides me capable of finishing the Eclipse Cannon would be perhaps my grandson Ivo, and I doubt you would stoop _that_ low."

"We still have Project Shadow, Professor," Graves stated, seemingly unimpressed. "If your notes are to be believed, he is far more effective than any cannon."

"Yes, you do. And you can't even train him properly, because everything Doctor Snively knows about Chaos Energy could be written on a sub-atomic particle."

Mismatched eyes flashed with anger, their owner obviously not pleased about this new turn of the conversation.

"…what do you suggest?"

"A deal," Gerald said, sounding far more confident than he felt.

xxx

"I mean, look at their damn acronym. Whoever thought that something already _named_ 'GUN' could _ever_ be a good idea?" Shadow asked quietly, shooting a sullen and defiant glance at the soldiers still guarding the door of the laboratory. It had already been two hours since the professor and the Commander had vanished and Maria and Shadow had been left behind, under a strange crossover of custody, quarantine, imprisonment and babysitting.

The girl at his side chose that moment to hug her friend again. "Probably the same one who thought the name 'Titanic' also made a ship invincible," she replied at equally low volume. "But for now all we can do is hope that grandpa made some headway with Commander Graves. Please don't do anything rash, Shadow."

A black-furred hand grasped the arm slung around his torso lightly. "If you don't want me to, Maria, I won't."

"Thank you…" relieved blue eyes met crimson for a second, but then the door through which Gerald and Graves had vanished opened again, and everyone watched as the two men emerged. The atmosphere was a bit like a military meeting during a war. Attacks had been launched, counter-measures engaged and now everyone was waiting for the reports who had fared worst. Both men looked thin-lipped and their faces were unreadable – while Graves stared ahead as stoic as possible, Gerald's eyes were all but invisible behind their dark glasses.

ooo

"You gotta wonder whether something is wrong with their eyes."

"What?" Shadow looked up at Sonic, who had by now somewhat half-heartedly nibbled at his sandwich. At the black hedgehog's question, Sonic repeated himself.

"Their eyes. All Robotniks wear dark glasses. You think they just hope to look cool or are they, like, really _hideous_ underneath?"

"…faker, you are someone who has _one_ eye instead of two. Literally. One big eye with two irises. Now ask yourself this question: Should I really interrupt Shadow's story so much with inane questions or be quiet and spare myself the humiliation?"

"Have I ever told you all the reasons why I don't like you?"

Shadow shrugged. "Sure...Cyclops."

ooo

"Grandpa?" Maria had stood up, slowly, not quite daring to walk towards her grandfather. "Is everything…did you…?" she let the sentence trail off.

Graves cleared his throat. "Professor Robotnik is hereby announced as Chief Scientist concerning Project Shadow, replacing the transferred Doctor Snively." When muttering broke out among the soldiers, he continued, "Also, the experiment as such no longer has the status of Level 1 Threat and is to be transferred into the research facilities as permanent location. That is all." So saying, the tall man turned his back on them, and, without another look at anyone, strode out of the room, the younger soldiers hesitantly following.

As soon as they were alone, Maria and Shadow turned to Gerald with disbelieving smiles, about to bombard the professor with questions pertaining to the details of their conversation, but the too-small smile and held-up hand of the scientist silenced them. Gerald shook his head.

"Please, don't judge me before you've listened to the full account of this…truce," he said, his voice level. "It is true that Shadow will now be able to stay in my quarters again for most of his time. Also, I have been allowed to expand my research for your cure again, Maria."

"But that's great, grandpa! What else did we want?" the blonde girl asked, not understanding the less-than-overjoyed mood of her grandfather. "Maybe you'll even be able to teach him again! His algebra needs work…"

Shadow was just about to cut across that with an embarrassed remark, but Gerald beat him to it.

"The downside of this, my two young ones, is that I had to obligate myself to further GUN's cause of turning Shadow, and more importantly his Chaos Powers, into a weapon, something which I beforehand could refuse. There is more to it than that, but this will be sufficient for now. Can you understand what has been weighing me down now?"

_Not unless I told you of my pact with Black Doom, I guess_, Gerald thought, a guilty pang resounding at the edge of his conscience. _Turning Shadow into a fighter. I __need__ to finish the Eclipse Cannon. _

Meanwhile, both Shadow and Maria had nodded.

"Yes, professor," the hedgehog said, "But how do they expect this to work? I – I can't control the Chaos Energy in battle at all. And I don't…I don't want to use it, either," he finished quietly, looking down.

"That, Shadow, unfortunately is neither for you nor me to decide. If history taught us one lesson it's that the Power of Chaos should never be harnessed for war." He gave a dry chuckle that was entirely without humour. "But I suppose GUN never studied the old echidna legends…"

ooo

"Shadow?"

"Yes, Sonic? What is it _now?_"

"That sandwich. It had cucumber in it."

"Next time I'll slice your arm instead. Be quiet."

ooo

Shadow hadn't slept very well. His unlocked, blanketed cage in the lab of the professor might have been a welcome sight for him, since it had practically meant 'home' for the black hedgehog for the first two years of his life, but after the months spent with GUN, the Ultimate Lifeform couldn't help but wonder whether the cage had always been so goddamn _small. _

"Shadow?" Gerald had asked in the morning and it was a rather cramped hedgehog that unfolded himself and looked tired and rumpled enough that the coffein-containing stores of an entire Starbucks might not have been sufficient to wake him up properly.

"Yes?" he replied, inwardly appreciating the fact to be called by name again.

"Come with me," Gerald said, his voice sounding as heavy and foreboding as the closing doors of a crypt.

Shadow shuffled out of his cage and uprighted himself, wondering whether now their old rhythm of the professor experimenting on him to find a cure for Maria could finally resume.

Wordlessly, not about to question his creator, the black hedgehog then walked after him through the corridory empty in the early morning, utterly silent until they stopped in front of an all too familiar door.

Gerald didn't even need to be particularly wary to note how the entire body of his creation had suddenly turned rigid.

"Shadow…" he said, slowly, clearly as unwilling to be here as the hedgehog himself.

"This is the lab." It were the only words he spoke, but no more were needed. They alone already contained the entire horror of the day that six women and men died aboard the ARK, torn apart by a Blast of purest Chaos.

"It is," Gerald replied, typing in the access code and stepping into the cool, climatized dry air of the room that had been cleared up and now lay before them as still and shining like the surface of the sea on a sunny day, even if the waves at night had taken the lives of uncounted sailors.

"What do we want in here?" Shadow's voice was tense, his red eyes darting around the room like a hounded cat's.

"In here the fool Snively turned you into a ticking Chaos bomb. In here I am going to rectify that." Gerald wasn't looking at him when he was already powering up various consoles.

"Professor. What do you mean by that?" the black hedgehog asked at that, his voice a forced level tone now, every childish tremble banished.

"He left you a wide open channel for unrestrained Chaos Energy, Shadow. We have to seal you again, or else you would be the energetic equivalent of a copper rod in a lightning storm as soon as there are large amounts of Chaos Power around."

"…is that your idea or Graves'?" black-furred arms crossed themselves in front of white.

"I'm sorry, Shadow. But if I was to make a deal with Graves regarding the handling of you, I had to make concessions. I can promise you that the procedure will be painless and not harmful." Gerald gave him a pained look at this, a last switch bringing a huge metal contraption to humming life. "Please climb on the table and let me strap you in."

"No."

The scientist sighed unhappily, all too well understanding what he was asking of the young hedgehog who even now was probably relieving his trauma. Requesting him to let himself be tied down onto the very same table a second time was more than overkill.

"Please. For Maria."

Red eyes stared at Gerald wordlessly. And for the first time since the Ultimate Lifeform's creation, the old human was suddenly aware that he had lost all ability to predict the decisions of his former project.

Then gloved hands grabbed the edge of the table.

ooo

"But I _hate_ cucumber."

"Will you listen to the goddamn story?!"

"I _am_ listening. I still don't like cucumber."

Shadow pinched the bridge of his nose. "That may be the case, Sonic, but when I made this sandwich I did not have many ingredients to choose from. When was the last time you cleaned that fridge of yours in your depression?"

Here Sonic suddenly looked sheepish again. "Uh..."

"Exactly. And I might be the Ultimate Lifeform and immune to almost all known diseases, but even I wouldn't go anywhere _near_ that cheese."

"...oh."

"Yes. It tried to attack me."

"Oh, come on!"

"You think I'm joking? Those pickles have already developed a _civilization_."

"Shads!" It was a mixture of embarrassment and indignation he could read in Sonic's face, but if he looked really closely, the black thought there was just a hint of a twitching at the edges of that tan mouth.

He was actually friendly teasing with Sonic. And when he thought of the bitter, broken hero he had found here before, emerald eyes dulled to chips of hateful jade, narrowed as the other had hurled insults at him, Shadow couldn't believe that this had only been a single night.

But this wasn't over yet, neither for them nor for his younger self all those years ago.

ooo

Muscles tensed underneath black fur as Shadow lay on the laboratory table, strained sinews standing out against through the skin. His limbs were fixated and protruding over the edge of the table, and now Gerald moved the entire contraption, sliding the right wrist and lower arm of Shadow into a slot of the now humming machine, before inserting the other extremities in a similar fashion.

White, sharp teeth bit down hard.

"It won't hurt you."

Shadow didn't answer. Instead, his eyes subtly widened as a tingling feeling shot through his body, concentrating like shackles around his wrists and ankles. He thought he could almost feel the Chaos Energy squirming like snakes inside his veins, the dull thumping of his blood in his ears becoming the roaring of a cornered wild animal instead. Again and again the teeth of the reptiles and the claws of the beast slashed and attacked, but this was a losing battle. The machines sucked the life out of them, drained them of life and energy, for that was what they were...

"There. Done."

Shadow blinked. Gerald was removing the bindings from him and pulled back the machines. Young Shadow saw his wrists and ankles were now encased in gold, but only his future self knew that he would not be able take them off for all the years to come.

* * *

**To be continued...**

(keels over backwards) There. 'nother chappie done. And the results of the survey announced. :D It was quite a surprise for me, to ber honest, but I am very happy Life has developed such a loyal fanbase! Thank you all for reading, voting and reviewing! Sorry for the slow updates, (and for the missing review replies) but Japan continues to fray my nerves until they're finer than frogs' hair and I'm glad I finally got this thingy up at all. But I still love reading you guys and get a smile at breakfast from the alerts. Thank you, everyone! Next chappie will reveal the powers of ther rings and Shadow's new life after the cease-fire...read you soon! ;)


	31. Growing Pains

**Chapter 31: Growing Pains**

They looked like jewellery. But Shadow was pretty sure jewellery wasn't supposed to feel like this.

"Shadow? Is everything all right?" Gerald asked, watching the young black hedgehog taking his first steps with the metal bands around his wrists and ankles somewhat awkwardly.

At his words, the Ultimate Lifeform stopped. "…I don't know."

He turned around to the professor and moved his hands a bit in the air, as if he was conducting an invisible orchestra, but on his face was the frown that already seemed characteristic of him, as if the musicians weren't quite obeying his orders.

"It feels strange. What – professor, what _are_ those rings?" Shadow asked, trying not to show how much the things were weirding him out. Since the machine had banded him, he felt as if his bones had turned to steel and he was standing in a huge, ever-changing magnetic field. There was a weak resistance when he moved, like underwater, and it sometimes even flared up and made him almost jerk, as if there were strings attached to his rings and the puppeteer had gone mad…

At the same time, the warm Chaos Energy that he had learned to fear was rushing tangibly through his body again, and Shadow could hear a hissing in his ears, letting him imagine it was _angry_.

His throat turned dry and his pulse quickened as he was forcefully reminded what had happened the last time the Chaos had been displeased.

"These rings, Shadow, I fashioned from material taken from the ordinary power rings, albeit I altered it in such a way that-"

"_Professor, leave!" _the black hedgehog interrupted the old man, crimson eyes wide now. The energy inside him was suddenly boiling up again, as if it had noticed the feeble restraints placed on him and was now rushing up against them, like the ocean roaring against the dam in a storm, erected by the hubris of humanity.

Shadow desperately tried to control it, he _couldn't_ let the professor get hurt, he _wouldn't_ let the professor get hurt, it was _his_ body and the Chaos had to obey…!

That was what he tried to tell himself, anyway, even as the Energy was heating up again, bordering on the edge of pain and Shadow gasped and dropped onto one knee, eyes squeezed tightly shut now against the storm inside his body and mind.

And suddenly the tide turned.

Black-rimmed eyes shot wide open as the rings activated. Sucking the Chaos in and containing it, lowering its strength – and then Shadow's control was there, handling the weakened Energy in his body as masterfully as a fire eater could tame his flames, directing it into his inner stores where it belonged and extinguishing the flares of destruction building up underneath his skin.

Shadow slowly stood up and saw that Gerald hadn't moved a bit.

"…you must have been pretty sure about your invention."

"I was." The old man nodded, before letting some more concern show in his voice. "How do you feel now?"

"Dizzy," Shadow replied, blinking. "The rings sucked up the surplus power and prevented another Chaos Blast – but now they're not stopping. They are still leeching energy off me. Is that normal?" he asked, a slightly worried expression on his face. It was distinctly unpleasant – a draining sensation that felt like it was weakening you from all your extremities at once – and he wanted it to stop.

Gerald looked unhappy. "Then this is the side-effect that I had been fearing. I am hoping that you will be able to overpower the rings with time, though."

Shadow only stared at him wordlessly. It was hard not to feel betrayed. He tugged at the rings a bit, but it was clear that the thick metal bands would not come off any time soon. They left enough space between them and his skin that he would be able to pull the fabric of a glove or a sock through, but were far too narrow to slide them over his feet or hands. Did that mean that he would continue to feel weakened until he could somehow learn to utilize these…_vampire_ rings?

A frustrated snarl escaped his throat at at that thought, followed by an even more vicious, and yet just as useless tear.

"Dammit…" he muttered - and then abruptly fell silent as he noticed something else. Barely visible since it was set in fine print engravings on the inner side of the rings, Shadow could just read it if he angled his wrist correctly in the light.

Project UL 2/23 - PROPERTY OF G.U.N.

The black hedgehog froze. Then a crimson glare focused on the professor, eyes flashing with the same fury formerly only seen by enemies seconds before their demise.

"You _sold_ me!"

Gerald didn't say anything, just continued to hang his head. Shadow advanced.

"These other conditions you didn't tell us about – they mean I'm now officially the _property _of GUN and I can't even fight back anymore, is that it? Anything _else_ you didn't tell me yet, professor?" He could feel he rage pounding through his veins, his ageless heart pumping hot, pulsing anger through his body with every step. It was one thing to be hurt by your enemy. It was quite another when the person who did that to you was somebody you had trusted and…loved. The black hedgehog felt almost torn in half by that pain and the Chaos Energy in him was responding, hissing in his ear with perceived maliciousness as the hedgehog strode forward, eyes narrowed and blazing.

Gerald raised his head. And Shadow halted.

The clear liquid running out underneath those dark glasses glistened in the neon light.

"Hate me, Shadow," the old man said, his voice as brittle as it was tired. "After all I already hate myself."

"Are you _crying_?"

Gerald sighed. "I dirtied my hands so much already. I try to help, I try to make the world a better place and everything I do seems to lead to so much more sorrow instead," the scientist replied quietly, seemingly more talking to himself than to anybody else.

The anger vanished from the black hedgehog's stance, replaced by an uncomfortable wariness.

"Maria still believes in you," he stated somewhat hesitantly, not sure whether he wanted to express that he shared the sentiment.

Gerald nodded. "Yes. She does. But I cannot anymore. I made your life harder yet again, Shadow. I had to give up my legal protest for the time being and sign your patent papers over to GUN, otherwise there would have been no chance of me being granted the time and opportunity to work on the cure and you being released into my care again at all. It was an unfair deal made over your head, Shadow, and I was a weak, old man for agreeing to it," Gerald shook his head. "I'm too tired. Sometimes I just want to give up. I have the entire government against me, and now I just managed to hurt someone I wanted to protect once more. Where is the _meaning_ in continuing a struggle when you can't win?!"

Shadow was silent for a moment, as if even he couldn't find the answer to that question. But when he spoke, there was no hesitation to be heard.

"Even if the whole _world_ chose to be my enemy I would fight like I always have."

And Gerald glanced up into a stare of determination that told him every word was true.

_Just like Maria, he is, _the old scientist couldn't help but think, _Both of them are fighters fiercer than Graves. _

Gerald swallowed. In front of him stood Shadow, tall (he had grown another inch, bringing him up to 2 feet 4) and straight despite the strain that the rings had to be causing him.

_Maybe there is no such thing as winning or losing in a fight,_ the scientist mused, recalling some words he had read long ago. _A war is either __lost__, or __won,__ there are either victory or defeat. There are absolutes._ _And what Shadow said means exactly that_ - _everything in between is still to fight for. GUN only has won when there is _no_ opposition left. And even if I do fall, eventually – it isn't the end. Because I've never been fighting for myself, but for the future. For my family. For my…- _and here Gerald had to swallow as he looked at Shadow again and saw in his mind's eye Maria standing next to him, just as defiant and battlesome as the hedgehog himself – …_for my two wonderful grandchildren. _

"...yes. You would do that." The scientist nodded. "And that is also why I believe that you will be able to control the rings with time. Shadow, I truly don't know what I would do without you two," Gerald breathed deeply. "Can you…forgive me for not telling you about the downsides of my agreement with Graves earlier?"

The black hedgehog gave him a long stare, but then nodded curtly before abruptly turning to a corner where his gloves and shoes lay to pull them back on. The rings actually fit quite snugly just below the red and black cuffs of his garments and soon seemed like they belonged there in design – only the faint sucking feeling was now left to remind Shadow that reality was otherwise.

The professor had been doing this for Maria, the black hedgehog reminded himself. Also, the old man had never steered him wrong before, and seemed to be under quite a lot of stress and strain himself, so it would not be fair for Shadow to hate him for his new predicament. They exited the lab together again, but this day left Shadow with the distinct impression that trust was something you should never give easy, and that the only one you could ever truly rely on was yourself alone.

ooo

"Huh," Sonic managed, trying not to show that every mention of family in Shadow's story still hurt. But the words did sound comforting, even if they were very simple.

Robotnik hadn't won.

Sonic was still alive. Robotnik had _not_ won, and by now the blue hedgehog felt strong enough to ensure that he never, ever would. He owed Tails that much. Sonic swallowed as well, imitating Gerald in the story, but after his fit of rage just a short while ago, he was trying hard to keep himself together in front of Shadow.

Instead, he just offered a weak smile. "'Even if the whole _world_ decides to suck, I will still blow stuff up like I always have', huh, Shads?" he said, giving his voice a ridiculous low pitch in imitation of the other's timbre for the first part. Shadow gave him a pointed stare.

"You always sound so dramatic. Did you just edit that part in for the story's sake?" the more ragged of the two hedgehogs asked, before something (which was _perhaps_ the starting low growl in Shadow's throat) suddenly encouraged him to change the topic. Sonic's gaze flickered to the mentioned gold rings on both of the Ultimate Lifeform's wrists. His smile vanished as he suddenly remembered what they were.

"Are they still the sa-?"

"Yes."

"And even now you can't-?"

"No."

"And…" here Sonic's eyes wandered up to meet Shadow's again, as he took a breath to ask the probably touchiest question of them all. "And does it still say on them…?"

The black hedgehog's eyes darkened for a moment before he answered that question with another one. "Why don't you see for yourself?" he said, extending one arm with his wrist bent so that the other could peer onto the inside of the ring.

Sonic looked. And saw that the letters that must once have been there were now rendered unreadable by thousands of thousands thin scrapes that had all but wiped them out.

Before he could voice the next question, Shadow had already answered it, his voice as cool and smooth as stone.

"I learned never to give up, Sonic. I did not stop scratching for two and a half weeks."

ooo

Despite the strain the rings were proving to be, it was another period of relative happiness that had begun. The black hedgehog was allowed to live with Gerald and Maria again, and the quest for the cure of NIDS could begin anew, samples of Shadow's DNA immune cells surprising and puzzling scientists every day. Research flourished.

It was the hair in the professor's soup – or rather, the nuclear warhead in his salad – that he had to take his hedgehog to the training with GUN every second day, but that couldn't be helped. Outbursts of Chaos Energy at least seemed to be prevented by the rings, so soldiers dared to go near the Ultimate Lifeform again, even if Shadow managed to be quite sufficiently dangerous all by himself.

Snively was kept busy in another section of ARK, meaning he didn't even have to be around that green-clad garden gnome of a scientist – yes, after first Maria and then Shadow had managed to fill him with hope for the future, Gerald felt he could almost live with the current situation.

He just hoped that also went for his two young charges…

xxx

"Shadow? Shadow, wake up!" Maria hissed, prodding her friend in the ribs.

"Mpf."

"Open your eyes."

"Grpf."

"Now."

"Leamelone."

"Open your eyes or I'll ask Vincent out on a date."

"Wh-_what_?!"

"Well, _that_ certainly worked, huh?" Maria couldn't help but giggle as the black hedgehog had suddenly sat bolt upright, all of his quills raised in alarm. Shadow blinked several times before then _slowly_ turning around to her, his crimson eyes now half-lidded in a mock glare.

"…do it and he will _mysteriously_ break his leg just before he's supposed to pick you up. In three places."

Maria grinned. "Oh, is somebody suddenly jealous?"

"Whoever said I was _jealous-"_

"_Are you quite finished yet?"_ The voice of Gerald let both Shadow and Maria suddenly sit up a lot straighter.

"Uhm, I was just asking Shadow about Darwin's theory and his stance on anthropomorphism-" Maria gabbled, but Gerald just raised his eyebrows rather skeptically.

"And you probably thought he could answer that question _in his sleep,_ yes?" her grandfather asked, sniffing his moustache pointedly at them. Then his voice grew more concerned. This school situation was similar to that nearly a year ago, but some key elements had changed.

"Look, Shadow, I know it's taxing for you to handle your training as a GUN fighter and my experiments on you simultaneously, and even while you still haven't mastered the rings yet you insisted on continuing your lessons. You keep nodding off. If you feel this is too much for you then I think we should-"

"No, professor, I'm fine." Shadow shook his head and gathered the papers on his desk again. "I can handle this. I actually got better with the rings, too," he lied, "I just channel more Chaos Energy through me and they won't deplete me as much. I want to keep on studying with Maria."

Gerald sighed. "Very well. I'll be with you in a quarter of an hour to check on your maths homework as soon as I've finished the task papers for Maria. I hope you did it."

"Of course." Shadow nodded and patted his folder in offended pride, before busying himself with the contents of his text book again until the professor reluctantly turned his back to them once more.

"Did you really do it?" his granddaughter whispered behind his back, apparently imagining that Gerald Robotnik was incapable of using something as simple as a hearing aid.

"What? No, of course not! You need to do it for me now while he's busy!" Shadow hissed back, equally as inconspicious.

"Me? How can I-"

"Maria, it's simple algebrae equations with three variables. You can solve them with one brain lobe tied behind your back, so just _do_ it, please."

"But I don't see why-"

"Because I might just Chaos Blast your lunchbox accidentally otherwise. Now use that IQ of yours or the professor will lecture my stripes grey!"

Gerald sighed audibly in front of the blackboard. Sometimes he really wondered. He was a world-reknowned professor and he was trying to run a school for two kids, one of them a child prodigy, the other a mutant capable of world destruction. And both of them were also currently in the depth of teenage woes.

_Who am I, Charles Xavier? _

xxx

Shadow flopped back on Maria's bed with a content sigh. He couldn't sleep in his cage very well anymore, due to the fact that he had grown quite a bit in GUN's captivity. But since there was no way a mere experiment could have their own room assigned, the only choice he had was to camp out with a blanket on the hard floor of Gerald's lab and that wasn't very comfortable. So, he relished every chance to just lie on the soft sheets of Maria's bed he got.

Thank fate this day's lessons and experiments are over…

He raised his head a little. "Hey, Maria! You done yet?"

"No! Don't come in!" the blonde girl called through the door of the adjoining bathroom, where she was just busy taking a shower. But the water had stopped running ages ago and Shadow sincerely doubted that she had suddenly grown a fur that needed to be toweled off, or else he couldn't imagine why she was taking so long.

"Why _would_ I come in?"

"I don't know! Just don't!"

The black hedgehog rolled his eyes. Sometimes she was acting so _weird_. He rolled over on the bed and inspected the bed side table out of pure boredom…

Huh. Certainly a lot more pink here than I remember…he frowned, scrutinizing the objects on the table more closely. Certain things had changed in the room during the months he had spent away. He took one that looked a bit like a miniature chaos drive in a plexiglass tube and opened, then sniffed it.

_Strawberries?_

He bit it.

_Ugh. Definitely __no__ strawberries. _

Shadow put the despicable thing back, poking his tongue out at the foul taste and shuddering. Then one eye ridge raised as he read the description on it that he hadn't noticed before.

"…what the hell is a 'lip stick'?"

Deciding to ignore the other weird gadgets (maybe another line of Maria's research?) on the bed side table, he then dived underneath to pull out the drawer that usually held his friend's books.

Black eye ridges raised as for some reason, a good part of the Stephen Hawking tomes were gone, instead replaced by something that looked a little bit like Nate's cooking magazines.

Except Nate's "Weekly Wok" had never had so many shirtless male humans on the cover.

"Maria?!"

"Not _now,_ Shadow! I'll only need a few more minutes!"

"But-!"

"_Please_!"

Incredulous red eyes scanned the pages as his gloved hands flipped through them, his brain able to read the words, but his mind not really making sense of any of them.

What was a 'boyband'? A hunting party of some kind? Hair seemed to be very important for some reason. In Shadow's opinion, hair and fur just grew naturally, and then kind of hung there, but the writers of this…magazine were obviously convinced that numerous strange things should be done to it first, most of them involving ribbons. The humans depicted in the magazine also were dressed very strangely – none of them seemed to have heard that normal girls either wore sky blue dresses or lab coats. Maybe this was a science-fiction picture book?

He turned another page. A heading announced that a new section of the magazine began here.

"'Body, Love, Sex'?" he pronounced, slightly confused.

Then he read the first paragraph.

It was hard to scare someone who's been through hell and back already, but _Seventeen _did a surprisingly good job.

ooo

Sonic chuckled. "Seems like a very interesting way to get The Talk."

Shadow raised a sardonic eye ridge. "Actually, that little bit had already been taken care of by then. Gerald was hedging around the topic, though – he sent me to Nate." Shadow smirked. "Poor guy nearly choked on his soup when I asked."

ooo

Two hours later, Shadow was _still_ wide-eyed. The magazine had proved very educational indeed – for example, the hedgehog by now had learned that girls could be _twisted. _

This thought reminded him of something again. Big red eyes blinked once slowly and shifted over to the clock that told the Ultimate Lifeform Maria had now been in that bathroom two hours and counting.

He was just about to swing his feet off the bed and knock, but by then, his friend had already called through the closed door.

"Sh-shadow?!"

"Yes!" he shouted back immediately, dropping the girl mag as if a murder had been committed and it had just turned into a smoking gun with a "Hey everybody, look at him!" note attached.

"…I don't think I'm going to come out again as long as somebody is in the room."

"What?" Now Shadow frowned. "Is something wrong?"

The answer took a while, but when it came, it was with acute force.

"…yes, it is! Is just discovered that my legs have turned _HAIRY_!"

After that, Maria burst into tears.

_Oh, _Shadow thought, as puzzle pieces finally completed themselves as memories of his biology lessons were dredged up.

_I get it. _

_Puberty._

He shuddered. _I just hope that kind of stuff doesn't happen to ME. Ever. _

Two days later, his voice broke.

_To be continued..._

* * *

Hi there! Errm, yeah, I'm setting new records in the category "Most delayed chappie", so if anybody wanna call the Guinness guys, I'm game - my stories are developing abandonment issues. O.o

Still, I guess I got a sorta excuse because I'm hording them for when I go abroad for three fourths of a year (once again fleeing the nasty european winter to bake in the wonderful world of backpacker hostels in downunder/Land of Oz instead) you guys will still get the occasional prepared update! That's not until some time next month, tho, so it's okay...:D

Anyway, that's it so far for this chappie! Shadow experiences the wonderful world of being a teenager (depsite being technically three years old...) and since he's not Japanese, he won't even think he's a pokemon. (bricked for Abridged Series reference). I hope you liked this new turn of events and if you read please review!

Until then, see you next time when Snively has something sinister up his broccoli-green sleeve and Sonic might finally eat that sandwich...

**Next Up: Chapter 32! **

sorry. Not sure about the title yet. :P


	32. Falcon, I mean, CHAOS Punch!

**Chapter 32: Falcon...err, **_**CHAOS**_** PUNCH! **

„Or maybe this one? Or this?" Maria asked, turning and twisting in front of the mirror, trying to see how her headband looked from all sides. "Hey, talk to me!"

"Ungh."

"Oh, for Chaos sake, Shadow, just _say _something!"

The black and red-striped hedgehog sitting on the bed with his arms crossed, merely turned his head away.

"…I DOn't waNT to."

..which pretty much summed up _why_ he wasn't talking. It didn't help Shadow much to endure his tough schedule between experiments, fighting lessons, schooling, and withering his best friend's strange new moods, that his sentences at times sounded like Maria was beginning and Gerald ending them.

"Come on, Shadow, everybody has to go through this."

Shadow glowered a bit, then wrote on a paper 'YOU DON'T' in huge block letters and held it up. Maria sighed.

"That's because I'm a _girl,_ Mr. Ultimate. And you better believe we have it _worse_."

"Yeah, right. At least you can solve your problEMs with a razor," Shadow muttered, almost whispering to minimize the disturbing tendencies of his larynx currently wanting to ruin his life and dignity.

For some reason, Maria blushed rather fiercely at this. "How did you know that?"

Shadow raised a sardonical eyebrow, a light smirk signalling that he was beginning to enjoy this. "Your LEgs used to be hairy. NOw they're not and insteAD you have light wounds on your knees – which you sHOUld get Gerald to look at, BY the way, I don'T like you getting injured."

"…I don't think it's any business of a guy what I do to my legs," Maria said, self-consciously adjusting the rim of her skirt and trying to hide one leg behind the other, "And I would be grateful if you could stop talking about that now."

"I read your magazines," Shadow whispered now with a full-fledged grin, "It said if you shave them, it'll grow back ten times worse. You know, like a man's beard. Soon _your_ legs will look like _mine_."

Maria gasped, her blush now spread all over her face, unable to believe how Shadow could tease her so. But _then_ her eyes suddenly sparkled wickedly and she grabbed something from her wash basin.

"Okay, buster," she said, the object in her hand now revealed to be a pink shaver and advancing on Shadow, "_If_ my legs are going to look like yours, then I better make sure that _yours_ are going to be nice and pink _soon…_"

xxx

It was a while later that Shadow showed up at Gerald's place to be taken to his training, and while the old man raised an eyebrow at the good humour and completely messed-up appearance of his project today, he didn't comment.

Shadow followed the old man to the military half of ARK where the lessons were taking place, occasionally trying to smoothe his ruffled fur again with his hands. His lips were still twitching from the vicious playfight which had involved squealing (on both sides), barking (on his side), rolling around on the bed (both sides again) and more than one attempt at unfair tickling (Maria _only_, of course. No male would ever stoop to that, no matter what the girl claimed.)

Shadow had had to be more careful than ever because his power had grown to the point where he could punch through wood if he wanted to, while Maria only seemed to become frailer as she grew taller, as if her body was too weak to even handle a natural growing process.

Still, just being _able _to poke his friend and hear her squeak, allowing the girl to pin him for a moment, then wriggling out and pulling her down again, laughing all the while and seeing her huge grin only a few inches from his face, when they both lay next to each other, panting after the ordeal…it made Shadow forget for a moment every single bad memory he had. He only wished moments like this could last forever…

Gerald arrived at the arena, snapping a short instruction into the intercom that let the door open so he and Shadow were able to enter. Shadow tried to banish the last vestiges of his smile from his face. This was business and he needed to _focus_, or he would get hurt. This wasn't a playfight and if the robots got hold of him, they wouldn't tickle his sides but tear him limb to limb.

When Shadow stepped into the arena, his eyes had turned to crimson steel like always, the Ultimate Lifeform able to compose himself like a Master before his last fight.

"Robotnik," Graves greeted with a curt nod, the Commander of ARK present at the training times like always. "Is everything ready? Today we will use a higher dosage."

Gerald's brow furrowed, but he couldn't object anymore, except if there was sufficient proof of danger to the lives of humans in the vicinity. He had banded Shadow with the rings of GUN, but it were _his _hands that were tied now.

It had been to save Maria when she had fallen deathly ill after slicing her hands open with the contaminated shards of the broken Chaos Emerald. It was the same contract that also forced him to divert yet more of his time to the causes of the Guardian Unit; Gerald was by now not only trying to balance the Eclipse Cannon to use against Black Doom with the search for the cure of Maria, but was also forced to take up Snively's (rather small) mantle by working together with the military to further Shadow's Chaos powers for use in combat.

Not to mentionthe hedgehog'srather poor knowledge of the periodic table of elements.

In the arena, they subsequently had set up an artificial Chaos field powered by dozens of Chaos Drives that should emulate an atmosphere of increased Energy on which Shadow was supposed to draw.

"First combatant. Initiation," Graves spoke in low tones, and one of the several doors leading to the round training ground opened. A GUN mech walked out, a white and black robot on two legs with shooters mounted to both sides like arms, and a bulky torso with a yellow flat 'head'.

Shadow had always wondered why humans liked to design their robots in their image. When they fell before him, smoldering in ruins, he had eventually thought of it as avarice and narcism, scorning them for it equally.

Late at night, it was a much younger black hedgehog with huge frightened eyes in his mind that asked him when he had become so contemptuous.

Then a whirring of wheels from the robot snapped Shadow's mind back into the present. The little black hedgehog did not realize it, but even while he was frightened of his older self, it was that same older hedgehog who knew he had to protect that innocent part of his self at all costs, even if he had to seal it away for that whenever he was forced into battle. War was not for children.

Hover skates flared with hot energy, Shadow shooting toward his enemy, then swerving to the side swiftly as the GUN walker opened fire. Lightning-coloured sparks trailed in his wake where bullets struck the metal floor in a barrage of noise. They couldn't catch him. Shadow, his arms moving back and forth with the grace of an ice skater, leaned into the curve and was behind the robot before the machine had a chance to turn. He leapt and landed a half-moon kick at its back in mid-air spin, destabilizing the walker and sending its machinery fizzling dangerously.

"Project! You are to _punch_ it, that is an _order_!" Graves barked from the side, his mismatched eyes narrowed in anger. Shadow only snarled into his general direction, before drawing his fist back, concentrating and letting it glow with an eerie crimson aura surrounding and flickering on his fur like a hellish version of a glove made of Borealis light.

When he punched, his fist went through the metal effortlessly, puncturing the robot's torso just where its heart would have been.

Graves nodded, not showing any kind of emotion besides a slight satisfaction. "The higher dosage worked. Second combatant. Initiation."

Shadow scowled as the next mecha, heavier armoured this time, stepped into the arena. The Commander was pushing him. Again.

The idea behind this was that he could now use his Chaos Energy not only to power his skates, but also to augment his punches and kicks, super-strengthening his muscles for a moment and steeling his bones so they wouldn't shatter upon impact. It was the rings that helped him focus the Energy, even while they greedily devoured their own part during the attacks, which was while this only ever worked when an over-dosage of Chaos power was around him, just like in this force-field. He still had not really mastered control over his bands, nor of the fury of Chaos in his body.

It was living proof when he tried the same technique a second time, and his control suddenly _slipped_, a noise like hitting a plastic bag full of cornflakes blotted out all other sound as his knuckles were broken yet again.

Shadow staggered backwards, the searing pain in his hand stabbing up his arm, the white cloth of his glove slowly staining as red as the streaks on his limbs. He felt his stomach lurch at the backlash of the Chaos, now paling and sweating underneath his midnight fur. The black steel-armoured robot whirled around and it was only his inborn flight reaction that saved Shadow from getting his torso torn apart by a lethal shower of bullets.

He still screamed when a laser scorched his fur.

Of course. Because handling ancient mysterious energy against battle mechs was too easy if there weren't also _cannons_ mounted on the walls. For now, the lasers only shot randomly and on hurtful rather than deadly setting, an installation to imitate a genuine war zone where shots could come anytime and from anyplace.

Shadow gritted his teeth against the new burning pain added to his injuries and focused on his opponent, disabling the robot with one swift kick propelled by his skates.

"We must stop here, Commander," Gerald tried to keep his voice calm and professional even when another spasm of pain on his hedgehog's face felt like a knife slashing through his chest. "I need to take Shadow for treatment, otherwise his accelerated healing processes cannot set the bones straight."

"In that case, the training sessions will be resumed tomorrow. Your scheduled time for your other projects will have to be skipped," Graves announced, turning to leave.

Gerald drew a sharp breath. "That is impossible! We already did that three times in the previous week. Maria's condition is worsening as her body is trying to summon the energy for growth spurts – she needs me now. You cannot force me to invest more time into your destructive war schemes than I already do. I _refuse_, Graves."

The Commander stopped in his steps and slowly faced the old man again, the harsh neon light letting the haggard lines on his face appear even more sharp-edged. "You have lost the right to refuse, Professor Robotnik."

Gerald's eyes narrowed behind their dark glasses. "This contract was nothing more than borderline coercion and you know it, Commander. If there is _any_ decency within you-"

"_Enough!_" the silver-haired soldier bellowed suddenly, cutting the older off. It was a sudden and ferocious outburst and Graves drew a deep shuddering breath before forcing himself to relax again. When he spoke next, his voice was as cold as his eyes.

"There is a reason GUN has to stay on top of martial technology progress at all times, _Robotnik,"_ he said, coating the last word with a hatred born only from decades of witnessed suffering, "And perhaps on some day at least your hedgehog will stand against your grandson, even if _you_ won't."

Gerald sighed, looking tired and older than all his eighty years could suggest.

"Graves. Please listen to me. I told you. Ivo…my grandson…has chosen the path of war alone. My family were never meant to walk on it. The consequences – the brutal, devastating _consequences_ – of two Robotniks waging an all-out war against one another would be unimaginable. There is no telling to what atrocities my grandson would go to ensure his victory as soon as he learned that an intellect comparable to his own had entered the battle. Believe me, Graves," Gerald said, his voice filled with the pain of one who knew.

"There would be _nothing_. Nothing left standing at all."

_After all, I already developed a cannon capable of wiping out the entire planet and it is being built this very minute. I can't even bear to think with what Ivo, who has been developing weapons all his life could come up to counter it._

But even in his own ears the words had sounded as hollow as he felt.

"You're a coward, Robotnik, nothing more."

And with that, the Commander turned, not even sparing the old man another glance as he left both scientist and creation alone in the darkness of the arena.

ooo

Sonic's stomach had clenched during that last part of the story. If only Gerald had not been afraid to use his power…if he and GUN had just teamed up all those years ago…maybe…just maybe…!

And the blue hero stopped this painful train of thought right there.

Yes, maybe Tails would still be alive. Maybe Robotnik would have been beaten long ago by the only one able to match his all-encompassing intellect.

And maybe Tails at four years of age would have died with his parents in the fire, because the madman's attacks would have been so much more brutal instead. There was no telling.

Thinking this, it was a different hedgehog that now sat there in the kitchen, blue ears listening to the story intently, even if his mind was elsewhere.

Because Sonic had learned to stop wandering down the tempting road of what-if, had understood that the scenarios it showed were as beautiful as they were heart-breaking, and that they could steal away your will to live in reality forever.

And he _wanted_ to live.

He just didn't want to eat the cucumber.

Shadow, oblivious to the barrage of noise as the entire atmosphere of an important moment shattered into little pieces behind the fourth wall, merely sighed.

"You should eat it, you know."

"So you say," Sonic merely replied miserably, staring down at the sandwich. Then something suddenly clicked in his mind. He shifted his gaze to his dirty white-gloved hand, flexing and relaxing it like testing something. He had been able to do a certain trick once…would it still work with this wreck of a body?

"Yes, so I say. Because the way you look right now, you couldn't race me if you wanted to." He raised an eyebrow at the blue hedgehog's body, a finger of his swiftly tracing down the side of his chest where the ribcage was all but poking through the fur. "The smallest gust of wind would blow you away, sneakers and all."

Sonic had flinched underneath the sudden touch, not used to physical contact much anymore, but recovered quickly, vestiges of his cocky grin starting to emerge.

"You would be surprised what I can do, Shadow."

"Oh yeah?"

"Uh-huh," Sonic merely retorted, leaning back in his chair and looking suddenly very content. He took a leisurely bite out of the sandwich and then looked back at a rather surprised Shadow still watching him. "Now why don't you continue the story?"

When the black hedgehog did, after another few moments of hesitation, Sonic couldn't help but grin.

'Couldn't race me if you wanted to' – yeah, right. The muscles in Sonic's arms still stung, but that was okay. The fact that he had been able to lift the top half of the sandwich up, take away the cucumber slices, drop them underneath his chair and then replace the bread in the time it had taken Shadow just now to _blink_, showed him that he was very much still the supersonic hedgehog he used to be, even now.

_To be continued…_

* * *

Heh, liked it? A li'l bit shorter than normal, but I'm doing this so get more updates while I'm running around down under, honestly. :P

lovelovelove Australia. Am in sydney right now and met the most awesomest people (including some REAL LIFE sonic fans my age, am so happy) and I actually thinkI wanna live here. Ahem.

Also, I'd like to announce that in Mystery001's forum we are currently having a sonic fanfiction contest in which I hope some of you are interested in. Many different categories where you can enter, so there should be something for everybody. Deadline is december 1st, so you all still have time. ;) See you there? :D

Please Read and Review!


	33. Maria, RentAJerk, and Me

**Chapter 33: Maria, Rent-a-Jerk and Me**

„Hi there, Maria."

_Just those words and it seemed to the blonde girl as if he had never been away. She turned around and stared._

_And he just stood there, smiling lazily with his hands in his pockets, his teeth flashing white in the light of the moon. Maria clasped her hands in front of her chest as crystal tears were spilling out of her azure eyes, a disbelieving smile gracing her angeline face. _

"_Vincent! I've missed you so much!" she cried, unable to stand being away from him much longer. She dashed towards his open arms, flinging herself into his secure masculine heaven, embracing him as if he was the last line of her life. _

"_Maria…" he murmured into her ear, making her shiver and tremble inside. "Nothing will ever separate us now."_

"_Oh, Vincent!" she gasped, still curving her body around his toned chest as much as her frail physique would allow. _

"_Yes, Maria," the young man reassured her, having somehow lost his shirt at that point. But Maria didn't notice, because his bi-coloured orbs were drowning her in their fire, whisking her thoughts away and igniting her beating heart into fire. _

"_Never fear, my love. I will protect you forever. Not even that blasted hedgehog will be able to stop our love." _

_And suddenly, their mouths were intertwined, hungrily pushing against each other, devouring their love in hot kisses. _

_Finally, Maria broke free, her face flushed with roses and her eyes alight with desire._

"_What hedgehog?" she asked. _

At which point Shadow screamed and woke up sweat-drenched.

xxx

"That's so _not_ how it was! Shadow!" Maria shrieked at this point, having become slightly exasperated with the sarcastic hedgehog on her bed who had been spinning this tale for her during the last ten minutes (adding the appropriate retching noises). "He sought me out in my room after he came back and apologized for any distress he'd caused us. Nothing more. And we did _not_ kiss!"

"Says you." Shadow scowled, his arms folded across his belly where he lay with his head propped up against the wall, facing her. In fact, he'd woken up this night screaming and sweat-drenched because this exact scene had been playing in his head. Gerald had even raced in and asked whether the Chaos Energy had been disturbed and hurt him, and the Ultimate Lifeform had been hard-pressed to explain that it was less the Energy and more his hormones.

Still, he thought he wasn't acting that unreasonable. Vincent _had_ featured in Maria's thoughts quite a bit since his return. After the little Chaos Blast disaster that had left all three children scarred, Vincent had been sent down to Earth again, to undergo shock therapy. Now, after four months of happy bliss he was back and Shadow wished fervently he could not only send him back to Earth but to Alpha Centauri instead.

Maria seemed to have forgiven him, as was her merciful nature. The boy had tried his best to act friendly around her, too, claiming he was reformed and wouldn't try to bad-mouth Shadow anymore. In fact, when the two boys were in the same room now, they mostly ignored each other, both talking to Maria only. To Shadow it was clear that neither of them had forgotten the humiliation suffered at the other's hands and the only difference was that both had now settled from an all-out one into a cold war.

He could vividly remember that last time they had all been in Maria's room…

ooo

"A _flashback_ in a flashback story?! Have you _any_ idea how long this'll take that way?"

"Longer than the rest of your days if you start interrupting like this again. Now shut it and listen."

ooo

"Hey, Maria!" Vincent had said, smiling as he stepped into the room and planting himself firmly on the second chair that was usually reserved for Shadow when he wasn't lounging on the bed (as he was now). Still, it made him wish he'd put a dish of sulphuric acid on there just in case.

"Hi, Vincent. Had a good day so far?" Maria asked, glancing at him over her maths book. She and Shadow had been busy doing homework this late in the evening after the black hedgehog had been submitted to various mutagens like X-rays and radon gas all day, the scientists trying to find out whether his cells would develop any cancer-like attributes. It had been _trying,_ to say the least, and Shadow was _not_ looking forward to another of his personal tumor-causes number one.

"Pretty much. I'm now close to my final year of Middle-school education!" Vincent grinned, lacing his arms behind his head to show off his newly acquired torso muscles, his constant training in the fitness room now really paying off since his body had started its growth spurts.

"Oh Maria, do you think you could help me with those Mendelian Laws? I have some trouble concerning the theory of recessive allels…" Shadow asked innocently from behind his book, imagining to hear a slight twitchy noise from Vincent's direction. Even after returning, the annyoing human fortunately had not started to study under Professor Gerald as well, but was instead sent to the computer learning programmes again. It was no surprise that study-wise even Shadow now was considerably ahead of him, a fact he liked to demonstrate as often as possible.

"Yeah, well, but I still think physical education is a lot more important than just all the theory stuff anyway," Vincent interjected at this, pretending he hadn't even heard the hedgehog, "Today I also managed to lift fifty kilos at least!" he said, sounding slightly smug.

"Oh, I almost forgot. I got close to breaking the sound barrier today, they said I was racing at more than 200 mph," Shadow said, examining his gloves with a grin. Maria gave him a dead-pan look. She had moved over after taking his question for assistance seriously, but now even a skunk farmer with an amputated nose could have smelled which way the wind was blowing - and it was positively _loaded_ with testosterone.

"But of course that's not all I did today," Vincent shot back scathingly, "I also dropped in at Doctor Snively's, he's apparently immersed in _important_ projects now," he said, sneering at Shadow during the stretched word and then letting the syllables of 'project' float ever so sweetly in the air. Nevertheless, the mention of Snively's name had been a mistake. Even after the garden gnome scientist had been sent to work on other projects after his experiment on Shadow had cost the lives of six humans, his mere presence aboard the ARK was still a dark cloud on the star-dotted sky of their lives in space. The temperature dropped several degrees.

"Perhaps you should go now, Vincent." Maria said quietly, not looking at either of them.

"Don't be so harsh, Maria," Shadow said, his voice dripping with fake concern, "If you throw him out, where's he supposed to go? After all, who could _possibly_ want him around except you?"

"Hey, did I just hear a _dog_ bark? Well, at least he's _collared_ now!" Vincent shouted at this point, having jumped up from his chair, spittle from his mouth landing on the golden rings on Shadow's wrists and ankles that Gerald had enchained him with. Shadow leapt from the bed, a skilled battle-ready stance of his suggesting that Vincent was treading dangerous waters, here.

"These bands, human, may prevent me from unleashing a Chaos Blast. Stopping me from tossing you out of this room into next week, they do not," he snarled, teeth bare.

"Is that so, freak? In that case, I'll leave – since _you_ are confined to the 30 squaremetres that make up Maria's room and Robotnik's lab. A prisoner, that's what you are!"

"Run, human." Shadow's eyes were burning with the fire of a volcano close to eruption. Maria got up nervously, ready to throw herself in between the males if need be. Shadow would otherwise turn Vincent into mince-meat, while the Ultimate Lifeform himself would spend the rest of his life in a high-security cage…

Unfortunately, neither of the guys seemed to consider the likely outcome.

"Me, run?" Vincent sneered, "Should I be scared of some feral?"

"I thrashed six GUN mechs yesterday without breaking a sweat. How many dangerous punching bags have _you_ defeated yet, again?" Shadow asked dryly, retreating from his battle stance into a more casual position with a fist on his hip, as if to demonstrate that Vincent wasn't even an opponent worthy to be wary of.

The boy's face reddened. "I don't have to listen to what a mere experiment says! Snively will make you obsolete, anyway…"

"If that's the case, then go run to your surrogate daddy right now and don't bother us anymore," Shadow snapped back, annoyed and unwilling to admit that a few of the boy's insults had hit home. A smirk crept across his nuzzle when he added: "I _would_ say 'Run to your mommy' instead, you know…except, oh that's right, you don't have one."

ooo

"Wow, that was _low_!" commented Sonic, chuckling.

"Referring to the fact his mother got killed in an attack, you mean?" Shadow asked, raising an eye ridge.

"That…and the fact that you abused an internet anime spoof."

"…I rephrased it."

"Yeah. Keep telling yourself that, Binky boy."

ooo

Shadow's memory became a bit hazy at this point, the hedgehog only rembering a rush, a tangle of limbs, an incandescent Maria shrieking at them that they were _both_ idiots and throwing the pair out of her room, although with a ten-minute intervall between.

Fortunately by now that little dispute over two weeks ago had already been forgiven by the blonde girl and Shadow found himself once more in her room, both friends enjoying each other's company while pursuing their tasks.

After Shadow now seemed to be giving the topic of 'I Don't Like Vincent' a rest, Maria returned her attention to her small laboratory bench in her room where she was busily examining various test-tubes with small, colourful crystals in there, most of them amber in hue.

The black hedgehog sighed and gave the intelligence test he had to complete another exasperated look. It wasn't one selected or designed by Professor Gerald – the scientist who wanted him to complete this obviously had never seen nor met him, and it showed. Shadow, who was two out of three days busy solving parabola equations and reading Frank Schätzing's or Huxley's novels, wondered whether the sheet that wanted him to match up the little picture of the dog with the little picture of the bone and the little picture of the cat with the freakin little picture of the fish was really appropriate for _him, _or rather for the idiot who had had the idea of designing this.

"What do you think that creep meant about Snively's 'new, important project'?" Shadow asked absentmindedly, adding a free-hand drawing of a small godzilla matched up with a sketch of a little scientist to the task paper, wondering whether the egg-head responsible for the test would be creative enough to get the message.

"I don't know…he never said anything about it afterwards, even though I asked him," Maria replied uneasily, even if her attention was still mostly on the crystals over which she was now waving a faintly ticking Chaos Detector.

"He probably thinks that makes him special. That human has a minority complex."

Maria rolled her eyes, privately thinking that an actual minority complex would probably do a certain spiky someone some good around here.

"Shadow, come on. He's gotten better. He's actually trying to be nice and developing some interests _besides_ weapons and war. He's really maturing."

"Yeah, except his voice is still sounding like an accordian gone bad," Shadow smirked and Maria gave him a dead-pan look, knowing where this was leading.

"Yeah, we all know how great _you_ sound now."

"I do," Shadow replied easily, liking his new timbre more than anything. And Maria actually had to admit that she liked it, too. It was not that different to the voice she had come to love before, except, of course, deeper. When Shadow was calm or amused now, it was as smooth as a dagger wrapped in velvelt, and when crimson eyes narrowed, it always seemed to her as if the blade had been unsheathed. He also spoke in low tones now most of the time, a habit he had retained of the trying two months his voice had taken to change completely.

"But I still don't understand why that means that you have to tolerate his presence this much," the black hedgehog returned to their current topic again, raising an eyebrow at the next 'task' on his sheet. It was common knowledge to the Ultimate Lifeform that intelligence tests often were about finding a pattern in rows of symbols, groups of words or sometimes strings of numbers. The latter was the case in this next challenge, except Shadow rather doubted the solution to '5, 6, 7, 8,…what next?' could be that terribly hard.

Sighing, he scribbled '42' and left it at that.

"Maybe I _want_ him around, Shadow."

"But _why?_ You've got _me_."

"I know, but look…" Maria began, rubbing her forehead in exasperation. "…Vincent is, well, first of all he's all alone and…he's a male of my species, you see?"

Shadow gave her a look. "Maria, there's female hedgehogs in the labs, they're _technically_ my species and I would dare say that they have the same intelligence level as Vincent, but you don't see _me_ squealing over their cages and feeding them carrots. "

At which point Maria threatened to ask Gerald for a probing performed on Shadow and the hedgehog vanished as quickly as only he could, deciding that a surprise visit to Nate might be a wonderful idea at the moment.

ooo

Sonic chuckled. "Did you and Vincent really squabble like that over who was better all the time? Seems pretty childish to me."

"…I am faster than you."

"NO WAY!"

ooo

Aboard the ARK, it was a troubled night that followed this day and while Shadow was away, Gerald slept fitfully and Snively worked late until dawn…

_To be continued..._

* * *

Whoo, hi there and I hope everybody's having a great start into the new year! :D Meanwhile, trouble's brewing on the horizon of the world of ARK and a certain scientist is about to make things so much more complicated yet again...please stay tuned for:

**_Next Up!_ Chapter 34: What is is this 'sleep' you speak of? **


	34. What is this Sleep you speak of?

**Chapter 34: What Is This 'Sleep' You Speak Of? **

It was sleep that Gerald despised.

He didn't mind the actual sensation – that calming feeling of drowsyness, the replenished energy when he woke up in the morning, the therapeutic mattress balm for his tired body each evening. He liked that.

He just didn't like the eternity that came before, when he couldn't do anything but lie in the bed and nothing, nothing was there to distract him from his fear and guilt.

"I'm just trying to save lives," he whispered to nobody who was listening. "I _can't_ join this war against Ivo…"

_Do you know what he's doing down there? Did you hear about the Death Egg? No, you didn't. Only when it was too late…_

"I _did_ develop the technology to reverse the roboticization process!" Gerald protested feebly, knowing that if anybody was listening he would sound like he had lost his mind. Maybe he had.

_You don't care. You've been floating between the moon and the stars for much too long…_

"That is not true. I _do_ care. I developed the cure for those poor sapients as soon as I had heard about their fate…!"

_About the same time as your grandson stopped using that process for his mechs. Fat lot of good it did. _

"But…I'm sure he stopped it _because_ I came up with the antidote and rendered it useless…"

_You don't know that. _

And Gerald hated, hated his 300 IQ points with all his heart, since it meant that his brain never slept and always found a flaw in his own logic.

He _had _tried to reason with his grandson, long ago. Had contacted him and sent him a message when word got around about his war waged on South Island.

There had been no reply.

"Of course not. It was about pride," Gerald sighed to himself, "Blasted pride, that stupid, stupid flaw of our entire oh-so-ingenious family."

Gerald back then had suggested to his grandson that he should stop his aggressive schemes and instead turn himself over to GUN for attempted breach of world peace. Then, after he had served his sentence, he and Gerald could work together, profiting from each other's knowledge and proficiency.

He should have known better that no Robotnik would ever stoop to become a prisoner of his own free will and submit to demands of people beneath his level of intelligence. Ivo was proud.

_So was I,_ the old scientist couldn't help but think. _So was I, and because of that pride I could never admit that illegitimate son into my life, because it would have meant that Gerald the prodigy had made a mistake._

And now he couldn't bear to go against his own flesh and blood. Ivo's work was as awesome as it was terrifying and Gerald would never have been able to bear to see such a mind wither away in a life-sentence in prison, as much as his conscience screamed at him for admitting that feeling.

ooo

"It should scream at him allright," Sonic scathed at that, all humour from his previous jokes gone. "I thought the prof was a _good_ guy! How can he think like that?!"

Shadow shrugged. "It's actually not too different from your own feelings, Sonic. You could not take a life, however sinful. The professor could not destroy a mind, however twisted."

"They should s_till_ lock him up. And I'll see to it that that happens," the blue hedgehog shot back, crossing his arms in front of his chest and scowling.

Shadow couldn't help a twitching of the lips. It didn't seem such a long way to go anymore, after all…

ooo

"Hi, Nate."

The small, elderly, dark-skinned cook looked up from the glass he was polishing in surprise.

"Hello, Shadow!" he exclaimed, his face crinkling into a smile. "Haven't seen you around in a while. I thought you weren't allowed to go out anymore?"

"I'm not." Shadow merely shrugged, slumping down on a seat in front of the counter where the buffet for breakfast, lunch and dinner was usually spread out during mealtimes.

He was indeed supposed to be a prisoner the way Vincent had claimed, confined to Gerald's lab (and taken to GUN's training arenas) only. Maria's room was already a dangerous luxury and only possible because it was right next to the lab. However, there was little that could keep the Ultimate Lifeform from going where he wanted, and tonight, there had been a black shape flitting through the corridors effortlessly. GUN patrols were more frequent now, but only one soldier of them had crossed Shadow's path – and, after a quick strike of the hedgehog to his neck, would probably get yelled at tomorrow for falling asleep on duty.

"Then I wonder what brings you here, hedgehog kid," Nate replied easily, giving Shadow a grin with gleaming teeth.

Shadow snorted, letting the nickname pass for this time. The human had sometimes called him like that when he had still been smaller, and since Shadow still held some affection for the other, permission for that address was given. It was a plus that Nate was also an insommniac, so it was easy to talk to him alone, and there was always somebody else awake when Shadow roamed the place at night. Ever since GUN had forced him to Chaos Blast over half a year ago, he hadn't done that, though.

"I don't really know that myself," Shadow sighed, leaning on his elbows on the surface of the counter. "Maybe Maria."

Nate raised his eye brows as he noticed how tall Shadow now was in comparison to the bar – when he had met him nearly three years ago, it had only been the two black-furred ears that reached over the counter, nothing more.

"You've grown quite a bit, it seems. Your voice changed, too."

"Yeah. So did _she_," Shadow grunted, hoisting himself now onto the bar chair and resting his chin on one hand. "Why are girls complicated, Nate?"

_Now_ he knew which way the wind was blowing. He had to suppress a grin and a relieved chuckle, though – at least this wasn't a horrible repetition of the scene when Shadow had asked him outright 'How does the human reproduction process work, Nate? The Professor told me to ask you', a sign that showed that Gerald had not only taught the hedgehog superb scientific vocabular, but that the old man also was a spineless recreant to boot.

"It is because they like confusing us," he offered up, "We don't have to understand them." He placed the polished glass in the rack, then cocked his head a little. "You _like_ her?"

"What?! No! I mean, not in that way!" Shadow looked at him horrified, before mumbling, "…I just don't like seeing her hang around Vincent."

"Oh. I see." Nate pursed his lips for a moment, his eyes wandering to the ceiling. Secretly, he was glad that it was something so trivial and his hedgehog kid had apparently not taken permanent damage by that catastrophe seven months ago. Then, he grinned.

"Well, Shadow, on Earth we actually have a little helper when it comes to girl trouble."

"Oh yeah?" the black hedgehog perked up. "What is it?"

"I gotta warn ya, though. It only grants relief for the symptoms temporarily, the cause you must work on yourself."

"That's okay. I just want to be able to get to sleep without staring holes in the ceiling. What's it called?"

Nate reached under the counter and chuckled. "You know, before I became a cook I used to be a barman. And we called it," he said, putting a glass down in front of Shadow with force, "_straight scotch."_

xxx

It was a slightly wobblier Ultimate Lifeform that made his way back to Gerald's lab that night, but after three attempts at typing in 'Maweeah', 'Marihaa' and 'West Side Story', he finally managed to spell the password M-A-R-I-A correctly, dragged himself into the laboratory and fell asleep as soon as he hit the floor.

ooo

Sonic couldn't help but laugh a little, even if a part of the scene scared him. He had been thinking of drowning his agony in alcohol, too, and a six pack of beer in the corner that he'd half-heartedly bought testified that. He had never touched it since then, though, since not only the stuff tasted horrible to him, in hindsight he wondered whether that might have been the last spark of self-respect…

_A spark that wouldn't have lasted for much longer if Shadow hadn't come, I'll bet,_ Sonic thought grimly. The thought of himself as a fat, stinking, weak drunkard passed out in his own living-room, empty booze bottles all around him, the odour of vomit and worse clinging to his sticky fur and permeating the entire air scared him. The thought-Sonic even opened tired, blood-shot eyes and slurred something angry in his general direction, before trying to stand up and only falling over to land on his bloated stomach in heap of mouldy food. He didn't stir anymore and the blue hedgehog's own eyes finally snapped open from the hellish vision, took in his (too) slim belly, unkempt (but vomit-free) fur and, most importantly, his still strong legs.

_Horror. I'm so glad it didn't come to that. I'm so glad I might be a broken, but not a fallen hero. I guess I should be thankful to Shadow after all…_

Then his nose twitched. It might not have been vomit, but Sonic suddenly noticed that he actually _really_ didn't smell that good after weeks without washing.

"Errm, Shads?"

"Yeah?"

"Mind if take a shower for a moment?"

"Sure, go ahead. I'll tell the story from in front the bathroom door."

"_What?!_"

ooo

"Shadow. Wake up."

"Only if you promise to take all of those needles out of my head." The black hedgehog groaned. He was going to _get_ Nate for this.

He struggled to raise himself and meet the professor's eyes, wondering whether he might be able to get some dark glasses, too, because all of the ARK's lights had suddenly become at least 300 percent brighter over night.

It said something for Gerald's expression that it sobered the hedgehog up immediately.

"This is no time for jokes, Shadow. I've just been told that Snively's experiment has been successful and you, as always, will have to bear the consequences."

"What…?"

"I'm sorry, Shadow. But I must ask you to come with me," Gerald said, wondering how many times he'd told that to the hedgehog yet and how much pain it would cause them both still.

_What have you done, Snively?_

_To be continued…_

* * *

Heeeh, almost in time for easter! ;) As you might have noticed, have NOT fallen off any volcanoes and am still very much alive and kicking, currently in Hervey Bay;). Hopefully, so will Shadow be in the next chapter, after three episodes of build-up for:

**Chapter 35: Twisted Mirror... **


	35. Twisted Mirror

**Chapter 35: Twisted Mirror**

„Grandpa? What is going on?" Maria asked in surprise as she stepped out of her room and saw him and Shadow walking past, both looking grim. "Vincent called me just now, he asked if I could come down to GUN's half, he said he'd have something _great_ to show me…"

"It is most likely Snively's new project," Gerald said, not looking at her. "I have only been informed of it now, but they refused to answer further questions concerning its exact nature. Although as far as I've understood, it is supposed to…make Shadow obsolete."

"What?!"

"As a weapon of GUN, at any rate," Gerald tried to calm her quickly, "Not as the key to your cure _or_ as your friend." _I just hope GUN sees that the same way, _he did not add. He wasn't sure why they had requested him to bring Shadow along, but he had a nasty suspicion…

When Maria assured him she had taken all her medications this week and was feeling perfectly fine, he allowed her to accompany them after all, even if he wasn't sure he was doing his grandchild a favour.

And somehow, as the trio walked down the darkening corridor toward GUN's realm, Gerald couldn't help but wonder whether Ivo Robotnik would ever have gotten himself in a position as helpless as this.

Sometimes he felt that the other scientist was like a twisted mirror image of himself, his equal in intelligence, ambition and pride, if not in compassion…and that he fit into this world so much better than Gerald himself. Turning his thoughts back to last night, the professor suddenly had to ask himself in what way he even _would_ have been able to fight against his grandson then.

What were you supposed to do if _you're_ the obsolescent model…?

xxx

They were separated when they arrived. Shadow was once again hustled into one of the holding bays of the arena, unsure of what kind of test they wanted to submit him to. It also unnerved him to no small part that he had to leave Maria in the tender care of the military, but what was he supposed to do? He _hated_ feeling this powerless. He had always been like that and he intended to _change_ it. Shadow had learned that strength was what counted in a world ruled by GUN and he knew that to survive, he had to become stronger no matter what it took.

Slits of crimson gleamed in the twilight of the bare four square metre metal cell, the fighter they belonged to ready to face whatever they threw at him.

xxx

"Good Morning, Professor Robotnik! I hope you slept well and are ready to enjoy a spectacle of scientific progress?"

"Why, have they thrown you out of the faculty?" Gerald muttered, but a beaming Snively didn't even seem to hear. The small man stood in the observational room in the higher part of the arena next to a covered pedestal and his usual broccoli-green sweater had dark patches as the result of excitement (and bad deodorant) under his arm pits. The long, oval-shaped window showed the circular area of the metal-panelled arena as still being empty, which was also an apt description of this viewing room. Apart from the pedestal, it only held a couple of seats in front of the window and a watercooler that probably hadn't seen any use since the day it was built.

"I promise you – and you, little girl-"

"I'm _fourteen."_

"…eh, eh, I meant to say, I promise you both something which you have never seen before." Snively managed to catch himself, Maria almost amused how easily the 'bored, annoyed, cooler-than-thou teenager' tone came to her, even if her heart was currently trying to twist into an hourglass-figure with worry for Shadow.

"Doctor, we came here because you claimed you had completed a project to render Shadow obsolete. I would be grateful if you could come to the point."

"Yes. I will not hedge around the 'hog, ahaha," the pointy-nosed scientist joked, apparently trying to achieve the impossible and worsening the mood of the Robotniks even further.

Sensing, that neither the old man, the girl, nor the present Graves were interested in Snively the Comedian, though, he finally resolved to cut the theatrics.

"Professor, you may remember your own copy of a Chaos Emerald which you managed to synthesize seven years ago."

"And which you shattered seven _months_ ago, Snively, yes," Gerald replied icily, albeit becoming already nervous. If this scientific catastrophe in a sweater had been fooling around with Chaos Energy again, the results could only be disastrous. "What have you done?"

"Ah, yes, of course. I apologize, professor. However, that half-gem had fulfilled its use. To continue our research, I clearly recognized we needed something even more powerful, even more…_ultimate,_" he said, pronouncing the last word like the name of a treasure he had stolen from Gerald.

Maria refrained from interjecting that 'ultimate' was not increasable.

"You can't mean you obtained the…Master?" Gerald breathed, having only heard about the sacred gem in echidna legends and a few garbled reports of a plot involving his grandson who apparently had tried and failed to steal it in some remote location. Still, the old Robotnik had always doubted the existence of a giant Emerald like that…plus, all of the myths had warned the reader that if a non-Guardian tried to touch it, he would immediately be punished by a certain 'red pest' (which could have been some kind of mistranslation; Gerald wasn't sure).

"What? No, certainly not. This stone has not yet been proven to exist at all. No, Robotnik, I reached for _greater_ treasure. This is the age of man, not of myth, and I created what I needed myself. More powerful than a Chaos Emerald, and much, much more real than the Master!"

"For the gods' sake, man, just show it!" Graves barked at this and cut the conversation short.

"Oh, very well." Snively visibly slumped, and strode over to the pedestal instead. "Look, now, Robotnik…I surpassed you. I did not create a mere Chaos gem…but a _Super_ Emerald!"

He whisked the cloth away with one jerk of his arm and the eyes in the room widened. Gerald was speechless.

The…_thing_ they were looking at could not have had less resemblance to an emerald. It was a misshapen lump, a bulbous, twisted thing that was covered in glassy blisters and bleeding opaque crystal. It was about the same size as a Super Emerald, a solid cubefoot, but the pitch-black and malevolent, pulsing red inside were a far cry from the brilliant, shining pure colours of the true power gems. The mass was solid and unmoving, yet to Gerald it had a threatening presence, as if it had never been meant to be.

"This is not a Super Emerald. This is an abomination."

Snively rolled his eyes. "Well, of course it doesn't _look_ like one. The Supers' artificial emerald cut is a far too unstable form for energy of these proportions. But fact is, this gem here works exactly like one, and with it, I have managed it – to truly create the Ultimate Lifeform!"

"That's Shadow."

"That's Shadow."

"_No, he's not_!" Snively snapped, thoroughly irritated by the instant replies of the two Robotniks. "And I will give you sufficient proof right now. Vincent!"

xxx

Inside the circular corridor leading to the various holding cells of the arena, a small figure strode through the darkness with purpose. Vincent was happy. Snively's personal assistant in a plan to eliminate the proverbial quill in his side - it was perfect. And Maria simply _had_ to be impressed by what they had achieved together...

Walking past the room where he knew Shadow had to be inside, he stopped on a whim.

"Hey. Project."

There was silence for a while, but eventually, there was a reply.

"Yes, Failure?"

"You're going to die."

"Oh?"

Shadow had to admit that this probably didn't win any awards in 'snappy comebacks' but for a moment he had been too surprised to think of one. It was less the content of the speech – death threats honestly weren't anything too novel between Vincent and him by now - but rather the tone of absolute confidence with which it was delivered.

Swallowing, he tried to recover quickly.

"We've been over this, human. And I thought the pills you were taking now stopped you from daydreaming."

"This is no daydream, experiment," Vincent merely replied, grinning even though Shadow couldn't possibly see it through the closed door, "We both knew one of us would eventually get the other killed. Looks like I was first."

xxx

When Shadow stepped out into the arena, it was empty. A cursory glance told him that the humans – Graves still with a noticeable bruise across his face as he noted smugly – were all in the observation room, watching him, but otherwise, he seemed to be alone. Odd.

Or maybe he was wrong. Shadow tensed. What if his opponent was invisible? What if it was a _gas_? His ears started flicking in all directions, his nose cautiously testing the air, heart racing as his various senses with increasing panic tried to keep him alive.

Nothing.

Then the opposite door opened. And suddenly Shadow was just twelve months old all over again.

"No…" he whispered, only unknowingly in synch with both his best friend and grandfather.

The creature on the other end of the arena was him. Or rather, _could_ have been him, if things had only been a little bit different…and so much worse.

He wore no clothes. Claws as sharp as blades on his feet and hands would have sliced through them, anyway. He was slightly taller. Muscles clinging to his broad frame assured that he was slightly more menacing, too. His fur was ragged. The low growl from his throat upon the sight of Shadow only accompanied that.

And his fur of course, was black. Midnight black with golden, shining stripes, just like he had seen him all those months ago.

"I managed to awaken him, Robotnik…" Snively whispered feverishly in the observation room.

"I managed to awaken him – _the Ultimate Lifeform, 2/25_."

_To be continued…

* * *

_

Whooo, 1) the plot started in A Painful Truth like a dozen chapters ago is about to reach its conclusion and 2) I'm in new zealand! :D Where it is cold. Yay. However, never fear for next chapter will see blood and pick up the pace. This story is about to enter its final run...also, for anyone still looking for more, I suggest checking out _Birthday Girl_, which is another stand-alone baby loosely attached to this Epic. Thanks for reading and please review?:) _  
_


	36. Light Killing Shadows

**Chapter 36: **

The scariest aspect about him was his eyes. Because they could have been white. They could have been mismatched, they could have had pupils the size of pin pricks, they could have spiralled crazily out of synch with each other.

But they didn't.

It was Shadow's eyes that were looking back at him, crimson in hue and reflecting him, two of him. Two Shadows. Or rather, two black hedgehogs that were mirrored in the two red eyes of the other one. Two Shadows, both of their faces frozen with disbelief. Only one heart, though, his own that was now beating twice as fast as it fought against the shock.

Two _Shadows_, he thought he had seen in the eyes of the other one.

How ludicrous.

Because "Shadow" had been his name, and only individuals had those.

But now he was staring into the eyes of his successor. Snively had replaced him, had done the one thing Gerald had promised the Ultimate Lifeform the doctor would not be able to do, had taken away his uniqueness and _mocked _it with this other hedgehog, the one that was taller and better built than him, had stolen his identity, his..._soul?_

_Did I ever even have one? _Shot through his head, all of this whirling through his tortured mind in the milliseconds it took for a world being sliced to shreds.

"Why is he still wearing his shoes?"

The plaintive voice of Snively suddenly cut through. "I think I definitely _said_ they were to be taken of him, didn't I? Now why is he still wearing them? Vincent?"

The teenager in question suddenly had trouble meeting Snively's gaze as he probably remembered that, apart from gloating at their incapacitated enemies, evil scientist's assistants were also supposed to actually carry out their assignments.

"Now why do you want his shoes removed, man?" Graves interrupted, giving Snively a glance that quite obviously questioned the little man's emotional stability.

"Because that would give him an unfair advantage, of course," Snively immediately defended himself, "This match is about determining whether my or Robotnik's project make the better Ultimate soldier. It's not about who can attach more gimmicks to their creation as if it was a, a comic book!"

"But...Shadow has only been trained in combat wearing his skates! Taking them off him now would mean-!"

"So you admit that your experiment is virtually _useless _if such a trivial part as his shoes would get damaged?" Snively asked, a triumphant glittering in his eyes accompanying his sneer.

_He was never made for combat!_ Gerald wanted to roar, but he knew this was futile. To GUN, only his fighting abilities mattered, the military probably not even concerned about the minor detail that Snively's creation might not be able to help with the cure of NIDS at all.

"Well?" Snively's nose quivered in eager anticipation of Gerald's answer, reminiscent of a rat which has smelled the blood of a badly wounded terrier.

OoO

Sonic curled his hand into a fist and flexed it again, feeling his glove crinkle with dried sweat.

_When have I even bothered changing these last?_ he wondered, his nose wrinkling in sudden disgust. The discarded garments were flung into a corner of the bathroom before he discovered that his socks were actually in an even worse state, the face of the cerulean hero now flushed with embarrassment. It must have been an act of quite honourable curtesy of the black hedgehog that he hadn't said anything about the smell when Sonic had stepped out of his shoes before entering the bathroom. Even now he could hear Shadow's voice still talking away at the door, spinning a tale of horrors past that for some reason had been steadily coaxing him back into life.

Wishing that a depression could really be as easily discarded as his dirt-caked clothes, Sonic stepped into the boiling hot shower.

OoO

"Shadow is not..._useless_," the old scientist managed to press through teeth gritted in anger, "And it is highly unscientific of you, Snively, to force him into competition in a field where he is not trained in. How would you like to see _your_ hedgehog compete in a test of intelligence against Shadow instead? I'm sure we could find a chess board or questionnaire..."

"The Ultimate Lifeform was never meant to be intelligent! If anything, in a fighting machine the capability to ask questions is a drawback!" The small man hissed immediately in answer, with a ferociousness that surprised Gerald. Had he touched upon a sore spot there? He suddenly remembered that the gold-striped hedgehog had not spoken a word since he – Gerald at least assumed he was male – had stepped into the arena. Maybe Snively's creation was not as perfect as the man wished....

"Enough of this!" Graves' voice at this point cut in, reminding everyone that the _actual_ battle was supposed to take place in the arena below them and did _not_ consist of Snively yanking off Gerald's moustache and the older scientist polishing the bald skull of the other with his own damn lab coat in the near future. "A true soldier will be able to fight in battle no matter how damaged his equipment may be. Shadow is to take his skates off. This fight will be to the death."

_This is ludicrous. Have you seen one Mad Max movie too many? _Gerald wanted to ask, feeling as if the floor was crumbling away from underneath him. Death was coming for Shadow, and he could do nothing to prevent it. He knew how gingerly the hedgehog still moved without his skates. He knew how the Power of Chaos was sealed away by the rings he had banded his creation with himself, rendering the red-striped hedgehog helpless.

Shadow was going to die.

_Is that why you chose the science of machines rather than the teachings of biology, my grandson Ivo? Because you would never, ever have to feel the pain if one of them was destroyed? _shot through his head, the maliciousness in Snively's eyes momentarily reminding him of the face of his grandson when he saw him on the news.

"Shadow. You are to take your skates off. That is an order." The voice of the Commander was now booming out through the arena, amplified by the speakers. Shadow's head snapped around. He hadn't yet let the other hedgehog out of sight, who had been staring at him with a sort of dull malevolence, but hadn't made any effort to communicate otherwise.

"I refuse. My primary objective is to save Maria and I can't do that if I die. There's no proof that this other hedgehog has the abilities needed to find a cure for NIDS," he said, his voice very nearly not trembling. In truth, though, he was scared. Shadow didn't want to die.

"His genetic make-up is the same as yours. He is your _clone_, you ignorant idiot, and vastly superior to you. Whatever petty side-project Robotnik wishes to play with apart from his primary, GUN-related research, can be just as easily executed with UL 2/25. That is...if he asks me nicely." The last remark of Snively's was dripping with gloating, the words coated in sickly sweet hate. "Accept your death, 2/23."

"Professor?" Shadow felt his throat constrict now. He _hated_ not having his shoes. And the idea of having to face an unknown adversary without them let his insides curl into stringy ropes, let his heart beat against his chest audibly, let the Chaos inside his body uncurl, stirred into uneasy life by his panic...

And Gerald only stared at him, as word- as he was helpless.

"Grand- Grandfather?" Maria had followed the conversation silently, avoiding eye contact with an excited Vincent. There _had_ to be something Gerald could do.

"Commander Graves? If this battle can be avoided, then I am fully prepared to accept that Doctor Snively's project is indeed the Ultimate Lifeform and will give my full support to his training. All I ask is that Shadow's life will be spared – indeed, wouldn't it solve a problem if we had one project for the training in martial arts and another one for medicinal purposes?" Gerald's voice sounded breathless as he tried to keep his wits together, keeping it rational, arguing for his hedgehog's life with sweat covering his brow and spittle crusting his lips.

Graves' lip curled slightly.

"I am not known for my wasting of resources, Robotnik. There will be one project to be concentrated on, and one only. We need to know which one is the better warrior and that is why one of them must die. Now tell him to remove his skates or I will employ _force_."

The last word was bitten off by a row of gleaming teeth in the Commander's scarred face and his mismatched eyes made no secret of how serious he was.

Gerald turned to look into Shadow's eyes, the ebon face staring at him, almost expressionless.

"Please take off your skates, Shadow."

_Please survive. For Maria. _

The Ultimate Lifeform gave no indication of whether he had understood what had been left unsaid, but he bent down and unfastened the shoes without another word.

OoO

Sonic could feel the rivulets of water wriggle through his spines like searing hot snakes. He hadn't washed for _weeks. _

It was strange. As disgusted as he now felt with himself for becoming like that, why hadn't it bothered him before? Not even a little bit?

_After all, Tails would have been horrified to see me like this,_ flashed through his mind, but he immediately recoiled inwardly. Too painful. Too raw. Better focus on the story of another life, on the words from behind the door...

Peach-furred hands continued to rub lather onto crusted chest fur and Sonic couldn't help but swallow as he himself could suddenly feel his own bones through the water-flattened, smooth pelt. Still, the hot water relaxed his tensed and atrophied muscles where it hit and it was almost...pleasant...

He couldn't recall permitting himself feeling good ever since he had locked himself away from the world that held as much wonder as it held pain.

His lungs sucked in the steamy air greedily, his body reassuring him with every breath that it very much wanted to live, no matter what his mind thought. It was releasing standing under the water and watching the accumulated dirt wash away under his blue toes, imagining that his feelings of guilt could disappear as easily as well. There also was the slight tingle of his hydrophobia...Sonic was afraid of water to the point where it was almost impossible for him to take a bath or be relaxed around a lake or the ocean. He couldn't swim and his body sent panic signals whenever he was only near a large amount of that substance. He could handle showers, though. There was only a small residue whenever he stepped underneath the ray, a little reminder of his greatest fear.

In a very harmless way, a part of Sonic was fearing for his life.

_Now there was something I thought I wouldn't feel again._

Sonic almost smiled.

OoO

"Very well," Graves finally said as the skates lay discarded and lifeless at the side of the battlefield. "Commence combat."

Shadow did not so much as gasp as the other hedgehog shot forward.

"He's...he's fast..." Maria mouthed, her mind frantically trying to work out what she could do to possibly help Shadow, but coming up blank. Underneath, the battle continued.

Shadow's body jerked. His reflexes, honed like lightning were trying to save him, but his legs wouldn't obey correctly. His body crashed to the side, flailing as the support of his skates wasn't there to catch his weight shift. The other black hedgehog soared across him, a growl accompanying a slash that narrowly missed Shadow's flank.

"W-wait! You don't have to kill each other! A winner can also be proven by just disabling your opponent, right?" Maria's voice cut in shrilly from above and Shadow had just managed to scramble to his feet in a rather shaky stance, feeling wretched. If only he could manage to focus his power, but he was afraid, so afraid...the Chaos Energy inside his body pulsed in synch with his frantic heart.

The gold-striped hedgehog twisted his body midflight, landing and promptly advancing on Shadow again, a hungry expression in his eyes. The smaller of the two anthropomorphs tried to take a step backwards.

"Have you heard what she said? What do you say?"

In response, the other dropped to the floor. On all fours. His answer was a savage growl.

Shadow's eyes widened. "Can't you understand m-?"

The next second he was screaming as the claws of the other tore into his chest.

"_Shadow!"_ Maria shrieked overhead and it was this that momentarily drowned out the pain blossoming like a poisonous rose across his chest. Convulsively, his fist shot out, hitting the other on top of him underneath the nose and sending him rearing upwards, howling with agony.

Shadow scuttled away as fast as his uncoordinated legs would allow, drawing himself up against a wall with effort, the gashes across his torso burning. What was this other creature...?

"Snively? What have you done to his brain? His level of intelligence should be similar to Shadow!" Gerald exclaimed, transfixed by the sight of the gold-striped, muscled frame that was now shaking his head in pain, then baring his teeth and flattening his ears with a new expression of animal hatred toward the slimmer, upright shape pressing himself against a wall.

"Intelligence is irrelevant for cannon fodder," Snively waved him off, "I always said all you needed to awaken the creatures of your production line was to increase the Chaos Power to shock them into life. You needed Super Emeralds like me, Robotnik."

The old scientist shook his head, his voice hoarse. "There was a reason why the power at birth had to be moderated, Snively."

Shadow was trembling badly, the metal of his bands clinking against the wall where his limbs refused to stand still. The other hedgehog's eyes were burning into his own, a curious mixture of intelligence denied, of something broken staring out from crimson depths. Another inhuman shriek as he hurled himself into Shadow's direction, this time curled up so that he was a ball of spines, a black and golden buzzsaw of death, as glorius as it was lethal.

"Nonsense, Robotnik." Snively's voice was condescending. "Can't you see what my destruction of his self-awareness accomplished? He is listening to his natural instincts! He's making full use of his hedgehog form with a spinning attack! 2/23 never did! _Your_ failure wanted to wear clothes and be _human_!" Snively scoffed. "Now like a pest he shall die!"

With terror singing its song of obliteration in his mind and Chaos Energy muddling any rational thought, Shadow dodged the hurtling dark morning star, a scream of tortured metal tearing across his ear drums as the wall where he had been was distorted upon impact. Stumbling away in horror, Shadow could only watch helplessly over his shoulder as the other hedgehog screeched madly in rage at having missed his target again, and curled up once more.

OoO

"What? You're trying to tell me that you couldn't spindash back then? I thought it was only natural." Sonic's voice came from inside the bathroom, at last a sign that the blue hedgehog was actually listening.

Shadow, leaning against the wall, shrugged. "You forget that I am as far from 'natural' as they come, Sonic. I doubt that I could have executed that move without my shoes, anyway."

"Oh yeah. Are you actually still as much a pushover without your skates as back then?" Sonic questioned, for once sounding slightly amused. Shadow's voice remained flat, though.

"And just how much of a runner would you be, exactly, if I took _your_ shoes away from you?" he asked, bending down to pick up the two red sneakers standing to his feet for examination.

A dripping, slightly panicked Sonic had opened the door before he could even touch them.

"Don't. You. _Dare._"

OoO

Shadow's face contorted in pain as he couldn't evade the next attack quickly enough and the spines of the other sliced deep into his shoulder, heat spiking around the wound as the Chaos Energy in his body was lashed into a frenzy, roaring against the four rings that kept it enchained.

"Please! Please, stop it!" Maria's voice wailed through the speakers, briefly infusing him with the agility to dodge the second assault. A vicious snarl sent shivers down his back as the other hedgehog was infuriated by his third failed attack. Shadow hadn't been able to drag himself to his feet again, but twisted on the floor to see his opponent shake his whole body wildly as he clawed at the metal beneath his feet before charging like a golden lightning strike, again missing Shadow, who rolled sideways in desperation, by inches.

Red irises spun wildly in their sockets, their owner apparently close to foaming in fury for anger at his elusive, twisting prey. And suddenly it was his own fur that the diamond-sharp teeth sunk into, again and again, the younger of the two hedgehogs tearing away madly at his own flesh until crimson blood pooled beneath his hands and feet, as if he was venting his rage at his inability to kill Shadow on his own body.

"No, Snively." Gerald whispered. "The reason why you must not increase the amount of Chaos Power a body is subjected during awakening is different. A newborn brain simply can't cope with it without taking damage. Because Chaos, Snively..." he managed, as all of them stared transfixed at the carnage down below.

"...Chaos is _insane_."

Shadow couldn't even scream anymore. He felt as if all of his terror had been used up, and there was nothing left inside him anymore bar a numb realization that he was going to die. Death at the claws of his insane double, and the deafening roar of the Chaos Energy that was rushing, screeching, lashing, fountaining inside him, surging through his body in its wish to escape and join its mad twin.

"I _know_, Robotnik. The...unpredictability of this very force was what led to the last failed experiment, remember?" Snively scathed, his forehead scowling deeply.

"The six members of crew that you killed when trying to infuse Shadow with the Power of the Emerald stolen from me? Yes, I remember," Gerald shot back, just as coldly, but hardly focused as his minds were on the battlefield below them.

"Yes, yes, that," Snively moved his hand in an irritated notion, "But you would be a fool to think that I hadn't learned, Robotnik. For you see – to prepare for...instances.. such as this, I made my project stronger. Even as hurt as it is, it can still overpower your feeble creation easily. UL 2/25! Stop that! Take him down!" he barked the last phrases into the microphone and indeed the mutilated creature stopped in its rage and focused on Shadow again, the pain it was in making it twice as threatening to the cornered hedgehog.

_I'm going to die._

Shadow, sitting with his back against the wall, was aware of how his breathing was becoming shallower and shallower as his attacker turned toward him again. He was helpless without his shoes. He couldn't curl up and hurl himself at his enemy yet. There were no projectiles he could throw at the other hedgehog either. He tried, frantically, to _think,_ to use the one ability that gave him an advantage, but nothing sprang to mind. And the Chaos Energy, sucked in by his body to insane levels for protection of some sort was _useless_, since the rings wouldn't let it be unleashed in an uncontrolled blast again, even if the pressure it excerted inside him was unbearable – Shadow tried to control it, to focus it somewhere to let himself concentrate, to get it away from his head where it messed up his thoughts – and then it was too late. The other hedgehog leapt with jaws gaping and claws outstretched, this time with pin point precision. In a hopeless, yet instinctive last minute resort Shadow did what millions of humans and Sapients had done before they perished. He threw up his arms and tried to shield himself with outstretched palms.

_I DON'T WANT TO DIE! _

Afterwards, Shadow never forgot how the other hedgehog _screamed_ as a lance of Chaos tore straight through his heart.

_To be continued..._

Ta-daah! Finally some progress after all that build-up. Hope you enjoyed the fight, it was fun to write. Have also now survived COMIC-CON, and if any of you were there and saw some madly grinning girl running around with a three foot tall golden super sonic plush toy clutched in her arms, that was me. ;) (You should have seen the looks of people next to me on the plane...)

This is also the last update from my travels as I am currently on my last station before returning home, namely Wacken, germany, biggest heavy metal fetsival in the world, and a more regular updating schedule should resume shortly. Thanks for sticking with me until here and hope to read your thoughts on this! :D

* * *


	37. Dispute

_**Shadow Grams** _

(again, 'All Hail Shadow' Sung By Hamsters is played. The music ends with a terrifying screech, though, and when Shadow joins Sonic on the stage, he is wringing something that disturbingly looks like a small, rodent-sized furry corpse. The blue hedgehog looks freaked and steps slightly to the side.)

"Hey there, guys and welcome back!" Sonic shouts, waving to the audience. "Got some great news."

"Yes. For once, that for technical reasons, our opening song will not be able to be played anymore," Shadow deadpans, tossing the fuzzy form into a nearby trashcan. "Lack of singers, for instance." Now the Ultimate Lifeform smirks.

"We have to point out that the behaviour of the characters does not necessarily reflect the opinions of the author," Sonic reels off. "In fact, she is rather against cruelty toward animals and hopes you all treat your pets (hamsters included) with love and care. But now, onto the agenda for today:" Sonic smiles once more, clearing his throat. "First, we're very happy to announce that the author is now officially back in front of her home computer and updates are once again weekly instead of two times a month."

"And we're happy to hear that, why, exactly?" Shadow raises an eyebrow. "All she ever does in her stories is either torture or ridicule us."

"Now, come on Shads, that's not exactly-"

"_Once Upon A Time, _Sonic. Remember?"

"Ah, yes. Good point." The blue hedgehog bleaches. "Which is the other piece of good news, namely that the one and only fanfic on this profile that has us both…oh gods…_snogging_ each other is now officially finished. On the bright side, this fanfic has now over 500 reviews, is on more than a hundred people's favourite and alert lists, and again, we want to say thank you to all those who've commented often and in detail all the way."

"And were always particularly pleased when something nasty happened to me, I recall," Shadow adds dryly.

"Hush, you. Anyway, to wrap this up we just wanted to assure you that there are still some adventures for young Shads to come before this tale is over and we hope to see you there when that final chapter arrives at last."

"Which can only take another couple centuries."

"Blimey, _someone_ is nasty today. Remember kids, no sarcasm before breakfast. But now, before striped and sulky gets us _all _down, please enjoy…" Sonic gives a last wink and then waves over at the rising curtain…

**Chapter 37: ****Dispute**

„Shadow."

Shadow didn't look up. He sat on the laboratory bench in Professor Gerald's lab again, his bare feet dangling over the edge. Next to him stood his two shoes that his creator had handed back to him as soon as he had gotten his hands on them, but the black hedgehog hadn't even yet given them enough attention to put them on. Instead, Shadow hadn't taken his eyes off his hands for the past two hours.

"Shadow, _please_. Talk to me," Maria tried again, worry in her voice letting it tremble almost inaudibly. "It wasn't your fault that you killed him. Please don't blame yourself again. We talked about this, remember? It's Chaos, Shadow, it can-"

"I'm fine."

"…what?" Maria stopped mid-rant, staring at her midnight companion with confusion. "But-"

"I killed him. Intentionally. And I don't even regret it one little bit."

"Shadow…" The girl's voice was soft now, barely a whisper. She reached out with a hand, but the black hedgehog shook his head.

"No, Maria. I think it's too late for that now."

"But Shadow, what do you _mean_?" his friend was now genuinely bewildered. "You know, habitually muttering cryptic remarks is _really great_ if you want to become crossword editor, but-" she babbled, but Shadow waved her into silence. Finally, he looked up from his hands and into her eyes.

"Professor Gerald has finally lost to GUN, Maria. I _enjoyed _killing that hedgehog."

And for the first time Shadow could remember, his friend that spoke more than five languages was actually lost for words. His voice was somewhat gentler when he continued.

"Or maybe, let me rephrase that. I did not enjoy the killing as such. It's that power, Maria. I like possessing the mere _power_ that enables me to do it. The rings your grandfather bound me with are finally working for me and helping me – controlling the Chaos Energy better than ever. Look at this!" He snipped his fingers and Maria's eyes widened as suddenly an emerald-coloured tiny flare shot into existence on his palm. He laughed and hurled it away to dissipate to nothingness, the thing crackling like tamed lightning.

"Chaos Energy, Maria! Finally obeying me!" His grin was now radiant. "I was so afraid in there, Maria, so afraid –that sheer survival instinct then must have become strong enough to override the rings' programming. Now with their help I can use Chaos Energy in any way I wish..."

Maria shook her head. "That is…great, Shadow."

"But?" The Ultimate Lifeform cocked his head. "What's bothering you? This is fantastic!"

"You _killed_ a living being, Shadow," Maria said, her voice low and serious. "Aren't you at least a bit upset?" Wide and earnest eyes met his; Shadow could feel them trying to x-ray him. His friend was searching his face, his mind, his soul for anything that indicated sorrow, fear, horror…guilt for having taken a life. And she found nothing.

Shadow silently shook his head.

"I'm sorry."

Maria wordlessly hugged him and cried for them both. The Ultimate Lifeform held her silently, wondering what it meant when the death of a creature meant nothing to you, but the tears of a friend cut your heart wide open.

OoO

Sonic shivered and he wasn't sure that it was just because the cold outside air now hit his wet fur clinging to his frame. He had opened the bathroom door, stepping outside after his shower to meet the searching gaze of Shadow still leaning against the wall. Red eyes travelled over his blue-furred form, and Sonic felt ever so self-conscious as his thin mid-riff now was on display and the stare hinted at disapproval.

"You _really _need to eat and take better care of yourself."

"Come on, Shads, we've been over this." Sonic rolled his eyes and tried to adjust the towel around his waist as he was starting to feel fidgety under the scrutinizing gaze.

"Your fur's been hiding the extent of your state's detoriation. After this shower I can see your hip bones poking out," Shadow argued, causing the blue hedgehog only to yank the towel higher, blushing.

"Stop nagging," he defended himself, "It's not like I'm dying yet or anything."

Shadow merely shook his head as he led the way to the living room again, a barefoot Sonic scooping up his shoes as he followed.

"Maybe not," the black the hedgehog said. "But don't ever, Sonic, take the gift of a healthy, living body for granted. It's a precious thing and irreplaceable if it gets damaged."

"Don't you think I wouldn't know that?" Sonic asked, a bitter edge to his voice now.

Shadow shrugged. "I didn't. I guess growing up around laboratories, genetic experiments and lab rats does that to you. Later, I had to learn the hard way," the black hedgehog sighed, again unconsciously rubbing his right shoulder.

Sonic merely raised an eyebrow at this strange remark but his curiosity was picked and blue ears pricked forward as the Ultimate Lifeform spun his tale again, talking away a night that had seemed endless.

ooo

"What's this? Are you two alright?" Professor Gerald walked in a few moments later, grey eyebrows rising behind his dark glasses at the silent pair in the room. Maria released Shadow again, her eyes still not leaving the floor but she nodded.

"Yeah. How are things outside?"

"Very well, everything considered." Gerald allowed himself a small smile. "Graves just about exploded at Snively for wasting his time. He will keep his hands off Shadow in the future."

"Really?" Maria looked up again, her expression lit up just slightly.

"Yes, indeed. As far as I understand, he is going to busy himself now mainly with robotics, a project called 'Gizoid', I believe. Mind you, with Snively involved, it will most probably end up as a megalomaniac toaster. Now, Shadow, how are you feeling?" the old man asked, looking at his experiment still sitting barefoot on the laboratory table.

Shadow flexed his hands. "Pretty good, actually. I've managed to make your rings work for me," he added with a smile.

"Very impressive, Shadow." The scientist nodded, and for a brief moment, something like pride rang in his voice and the hedgehog's blood-red eyes shone. Maria turned her head away.

"Thank you, professor," Shadow replied smoothly, his ego not quite managing to keep the self-satisfaction out of his voice. "But do you know anything about why the Chaos energy behaved as it did? It was quite a surprise…"

"I do." Both hedgehog and human turned their heads as Maria spoke. The blonde girl looked unhappy.

"When I was busying myself with Chaos theory I studied the ancient echidna texts great-grandfather had translated. You probably know that they were the first intelligent creatures to use Chaos energy."

"Yes, indeed." Gerald nodded. "And a very martial tribe they were. I read about their experiments concerning harnessing Chaos energy for aggressive purposes as well, though I didn't detail my research. I had never hoped to use Chaos energy for this," he said, and now for the first time his good mood from Shadow's success seemed to subside a little as the implications of the Ultimate Lifeform's victory sank in. Gerald could only dread what GUN would be planning with this newfound power now.

"I did." Maria sighed. "After Snively's failed experiment I began to wonder what else Chaos energy was capable of. As it happens, what we witnessed had happened before."

Shadow frowned. "These echidna guys strapped people to laboratory tables on space stations and blew up their own scientists?"

"Shadow, _please._" Maria gave the black hedgehog a pained look at this callous summary of their shared trauma and the Ultimate Lifeform had to avert his gaze when faced with the saddened eyes of his friend. Maria swallowed.

"Of course this wasn't exactly how it happened back then. The echidnas experimented with actual Chaos Emeralds instead of our artificial Chaos crystal and they lived on Earth. However, their results were actually very similar to what we saw. For example, that technique with which you defeated the other hedgehog they called a 'Spear of Chaos'. If even more Chaos Energy than that was released, they wrote it took on the form of a devastating explosion, like last year. In that case, they called it 'Wrath of Chaos', or 'Chaos Blast'. Great-grandfather wasn't too sure about the translation. They discovered the same thing we did, only thousands of years ago."

"Wow," Shadow said quietly. He felt the familiar buzz of Chaos energy coursing through his body as he listened and the thought of having something so ancient existing inside himself made his skin prickle. He raised his head. "Did it…say anything else? Other techniques?"

"You don't really care whether someone got hurt when _they _used it, do you?" Maria asked flatly. "You're more interested in whether you can get better at this."

Shadow winced at the hurt and accusation in his friend's voice, but at the same time he didn't know what to say. Gerald put a calming hand on his grandchild's shoulder.

"Now, Maria, please consider that we've all been through a lot today. It's hard to think straight after you've just escaped from a death match. I'm sure Shadow shares your feelings."

"Yeah…" the blonde girl sighed. "I hope. But since you asked, yes; there was another technique. Chaos Control, the strongest one of them all."

"Chaos…Control? That's an oxymoron…" Gerald mused, but Shadow's ears had pricked up.

"What did it do?"

"It allowed the user to manipulate space and even time," Maria replied. "At least, according to the ancient texts. But they never managed to do it themselves. They only saw it in action when Chaos himself, the God of Destruction became furious with them for trying to steal the Emeralds and he used it against them. Teleporting at will…freezing time itself…Chaos Control was the weapon of a god, as they wrote."

"But that's mere conjecture," Gerald threw in. "I am very impressed by your knowledge of the ancient texts, Maria, but we can't be sure whether the echidnas weren't over-exaggerating in their accounts. Moving at high speeds, perhaps, but an actual teleport…" his voice trailed off. "Nevertheless, the power of Chaos is no trifle. We have to be careful."

Shadow nodded, barely listening. His mind was turned inwards, where he was amusing himself with his new powers. He could now direct a much greater amount of Energy than before, pushing it into his palm, drawing it there just before it would break his skin, seep through his pores and form the green lightning in his hand…

He smiled and pulled it back into his body.

"Well, I will have to get back to work now." Gerald rose. "The new course my research for your cure has taken is actually quite promising. I will have to take some more blood samples for tests from both of you later, then hopefully by tomorrow we will know more. You two, meanwhile, are behind in homework."

Shadow and Maria nodded, rising themselves to walk to Maria's room where they kept their study materials. But there was an uneasy silence in between them and neither of them spoke a word until the sliding door had closed behind them.

Maria started to shuffle around the papers on her desk while Shadow flopped down onto the bed. He looked at his friend.

"You're unhappy."

"Yes."

"Am I the reason you're unhappy?"

"Ye – I don't know." Maria bit her lip and ceased her activity. "This is hard for me. You killed that other hedgehog and it doesn't bother you."

"Maria, we've been over this. Would you rather he had killed _me_?" Shadow propped himself up on his elbows and raised an eye ridge.

"No! Shadow, of course I'm happy that you're still alive." Maria sat down next to him, her hands clasped in her lap.

"Then what? Am I not allowed to defend my life without taking someone else's? Besides, he wasn't even a real person," Shadow muttered.

Maria slapped him.

"Don't EVER say that again!"

"What?!" The black hedgehog held his cheek, flabbergasted. Normally, his reflexes would have been fast enough to deflect a blow at ten times her speed, but he hadn't reacted because he never, ever would have expected Maria to attack him. "What was that for?!"

"He was a living being, Shadow. He was every bit as precious as everyone else."

"He was a crazed experiment trying to _kill _me! What part of that fight didn't you watch?!"

"That is not the point, Shadow!"

"He didn't even have a proper name!"

"Says _who, _UL 2/23?!"

There was a pause. The black hedgehog's voice was quiet when he spoke next.

"That was a low blow, Maria."

"I'm sorry! But don't you know what I had to listen to, all these years? From relatives, friends, people up here? 'Get some real friends!', 'He's just an experiment, not a human', '_He isn't even a real person!'"_ she repeated Shadow's exact phrasing in a scathing voice. "Don't you understand, Shadow? These people haven't got a clue how much your life matters to me, how invaluable and irreplaceable it is! And now I have to listen to you spout the same nonsense just like them, you, who should know _better_!" she cried, by now standing in the middle of the room. The black hedgehog on her bed regarded her with an impenetrable expression, his hand no longer covering his burning cheek. He had no idea what to say. He was angry with Maria for talking to him like this and being unfair, he was feeling guilty because he thought she was right, he was confused because he thought _he _was right too, he was furious because it was all GUN's fault for them to be in this situation at all and finally, he was terrified to the bone that it would drive Maria away.

"You must understand, Shadow, I'm just afraid that you become like _them_. GUN. A cold-blooded killer."

Shadow's ears drooped. "What if I am, Maria?"

"You mustn't!"

"Chaos is violent and destructive. And it's forever part of me. Worse, I am not even rejecting it anymore. I am a living weapon, Maria, I can't change that." _I don't want to change it, _another voice whispered in his head, a part of him that had tasted the power of Chaos and revelled in it. But it was a different part of him that made himself heard next, a younger hedgehog who was only twelve months old and remembered just who had always been there for him when he needed it.

"Please don't leave me..." His voice was no more than a hoarse whisper. The Ultimate Lifeform had no idea how to go on in case his only friend turned her back on him. The silence stretched on between them, the blonde girl not raising her head to meet his gaze and for one moment Shadow feared that GUN had finally managed to separate them.

But then Maria looked into wide crimson eyes and saw behind everything that had happened in the last few years still her tiny companion, full of caring, empathy and in need of reassurance.

Without words, she kissed him on the forehead.

"I will never leave you, Shadow. You just have to promise me to try to understand the value of life, no matter whose it is."

"I promise you, Maria." The Ultimate Lifeform had trouble fighting the heat rushing into his cheeks. "I promise…"

xxx

"CHAOS SPEAR!"

The robot that had just stood before him was blasted to smithereens, a lithe black body tearing through the wreckage. White hedgehog incisors were bared in a feral grin, the greenish light of the next deadly lightning bolt dancing in his hands and reflected in blood-red eyes.

Hover skates hissed as their master powered them up once more, racing along the wall and through the automatic laserfire of the ceiling-mounted cannons before curling up and smashing into the last battle droid standing with devastating force. The machine exploded with an ear-drum shattering sound, debris and burning parts of twisting metal shooting through the arena. The Ultimate Lifeform never broke his graceful spin however, using the force the of the blast instead to catapult himself higher into the air until he was level with the observation room window behind which Gerald, Graves and Vincent all watched his performance. Shadow's heart fell a little when he realized Maria wasn't there, but it didn't show on his face. Instead, he uncurled himself to look all three humans in the eye for no longer than a single second – right before backflipping in the air with his skates and hurling a final Chaos Spear at his audience, the projectile crackling with destructive power.

Vincent screamed as the missile was hurled and fell over backwards. Gerald and Graves did not move an inch as the energy was deflected harmlessly by the windowpane and Shadow landed effortlessly on the floor again.

"Hey, human runt! Is by now my mere sight enough to knock you down?" Shadow called up, knowing his voice would be picked up by the microphones in the arena. As predicted, Vincent immediately rushed at the glass separating them, face furious and beet-red.

"Vincent." Graves barked, his tone laced with warning, but his son paid him no heed.

"You insolent animal! You weren't half as cocky two weeks ago when your clone almost killed you!"

"'Almost' being the key word, my mentally challenged friend," Shadow replied easily, upper lip curling in a sneer. "As it happens, instead of just not dying I actually picked up this rather handy spin-move from him. Not all that bad, listening to your 'animal' instincts once in a while, huh? Of course, not that you shrieking son of a monkey would have any trouble in that department…"

"I'm going to KILL you!" Vincent was snarling now, mere yelling already not enough to express his pure rage. Below him, the midnight hedgehog merely smirked.

"And what an impressive record you already have," Shadow tutted. "I hear Snively fired you as his laboratory assistant? My, my, how bad that Maria actually prefers the brain over the brawn…not that I wouldn't outmatch you in both those categories, of course…"

"Shut – shut him up!" The Commander's son howled, punching the glass in sheer hatred.

"Vincent!" Graves shouted at his offspring and the boy immediately froze. "If you were any of my men I'd have you disciplined on the spot! This is no conduct for a soldier and you are a disgrace! Now remove yourself."

"But, father-" the boy protested, but the mismatched eyes of the Commander only narrowed further.

"I am not going to expand on the affairs of our family in public," the tall man snarled, gesturing with an off-handed wave at Gerald, who currently wished he could melt into the background. "But for now it's already enough that you let yourself first get beat up by the hedgehog, then become a lab assistant for a failure of a scientist that led to the failure of a test where two of _my men_ were sacrificed and _finally_ constantly meddle with that sick wraith of a girl, the cousin of the man who is responsible for the death of your mother. Now _remove yourself_!" He shouted once more and was seemingly close to hitting Vincent, but the teen was already dashing to the door.

"Fine! I'll leave! You don't care about me anyway!"

Gerald still didn't know what to say to the entire episode until one last shout of Vincent's echoed through the corridor.

"I HATE THAT HEDGEHOG!"

Gerald winced. "Commander, perhaps you should-"

"Shadow's performance today was very satisfactory," Graves cut across the older man, acting as if his son's distress had never even occurred. "His Chaos-enhanced fighting skills are most impressive. We have to tailor his training more towards them. This might be the weapon of mass destruction we have been waiting for to deal the final blow to Robotnik."

Gerald stared at the floor, unhappily. Graves was mapping out the very future he dreaded most, short of Black Doom returning. He still hadn't told anyone but his diary of that little gem either.

"Commander, Chaos Energy is highly volatile and dangerous. We can't just-"

"Have I asked for your opinion, professor? When my men are in acute danger, tell me. Other than that, do what I say."

"There is the possibility-"

"Possibilities don't win wars, Robotnik. I'm pretty sure your grandson knows that," Graves scathed. "Now take your experiment and return to your lab."

Gerald turned wordlessly and went to collect Shadow from the arena below. Later that day he was busy looking at the various blood cultures he had set up to check Shadow's immune compatibility with Maria's, he worked on refining some lens refractions on the Eclipse Cannon prototype and, long after midnight still went out to his Artificial Chaos creatures that had been a side-product of Shadow. The creatures, which were mostly amorphous blue blobs with a goat skull–like bone structure in place of their head, continued to live inside their containers. Gerald still wasn't sure what he had actually created, but he used them for the more dangerous and painful tests, since so far the creatures had not even demonstrated anything like sentience. He knew that Maria would disapprove if she knew, which was why he chose to simply not tell her. It was in the small hours of the morning when the old scientist finally went to bed and even then he tossed and turned, not able to put the old legends of echidna kind out of his head…

They had tried to harness the power of Chaos for war, too. Their leader, Pachamac, had been blind to the consequences and it had ended with his daughter being killed by their own tribe and the God of destruction imprisoned in the fabled Master Emerald. How long until Shadow would actually accidentally kill someone he shouldn't have with a Chaos Spear and they tried to put him down? What would happen if they tried?

And staring at the darkness above his eyes, Gerald dreaded that history would repeat itself and once again, their trespassing would result in the imprisonment of a once noble creature, and the death of one young girl who had only tried to protect her loved ones.

_To be continued…

* * *

_

_Wa-hoo. _Maria isn't too happy as Shadow turns into the gun-toting maniac we love to write. Good thing she never played 'Shadow the Hedgehog'... which brings me to the next chappie, where there will be mutilation and carnage again. Whee! I hope you enjoyed this one, of course, and f you read, please review! :D

Side note: Anybody here read the Archie Sonic comics? It's just coz in the current story arc they have Snively getting snuggly with another female character and I personally think it's too revolting for words. Anyone with me? Get me an Eclipse cannon, somebody...

Anybody who hasn't read it yet (and right now needs to take their minds off a sweaty, half-undressed Snivelly...see, there you go) is of course invited to the latest spin-off of 'Life...' - "Sea Urchin", a tale of drenched hedgehogs, girls too clever by half and a couple of details Shadow probably never ever wanted you to know...;)


	38. Play Time Is Over

**Chapter 38: Play Time Is Over  
**

„You're dead, Maria!" Shadow hurled himself at the blonde girl with full force, curling up into a deadly spinning buzzsaw.

"Hah! You _wish_," the girl shot back without missing a beat, leaping out of the way gracefully. Shadow flew past her and missed the lithe body by inches, but before he could turn around, the youngest member of the Robotnik family had already grabbed him around the throat and struck the hedgehog over the head without mercy.

"Let me go!" Shadow shouted, trying to break free, but to no avail. The blonde girl grinned.

„If you ask me that nicely..." Twisting her body in a 180-degree spin, Maria screamed and hurled Shadow into the wall.

There was the sound of shattering glass, the abandoned laboratory they were in already a field of ruins, broken wires snaking through remnants of machines and empty tanks.

"Nice shot." Vincent smirked, dropping down from a glass cylinder to land lightly in front of a disoriented Shadow who was just getting to his feet again. "Allow me to take care of the rest."

"You try, human…" the Ultimate Lifeform growled, falling into a battle stance and drawing one hand back while emerald flames erupted between his fingers. "…you try and you die. _Chaos Spear_!"

Again, the searing lance of lightning tore through the air, destroying any obstacles in its path. Vincent merely sneered. "Hah! You _twittered _that move!" Reaching behind him, the son of the GUN Commander suddenly held a metal shield in his hand, deflecting the projectile with ease. "Now dodge _this!_"

„The only thing lamer than your attacks is your dialog-"

„Shut up!" Vincent snapped, before smirking. "You call this 'lame', too?" he shot back, at the same time drawing a sort of crossbred between bazooka and machine gun. The mismatched eyes of the GUN commander's son glinted. "Because I call it the _Piecemaker_."

"What?!" Shadow scowled. "That is totally unf-!"

Which was as far as he got before being blasted to smithereens.

Vincent laughed. "Still so cocky, experiment?"

"Boys and their toys. Doesn't change, no matter their age," a light voice suddenly made itself heard behind him, and Maria alighted on the floor, her tone one of good-natured mocking. "Well, since you killed Shadow, I guess it's just you and me, then, huh?"

"Indeed, mylady." Vincent smiled, but didn't bow, instead aiming the gun at Maria. The girl dodged it nimbly.

"Nope, won't work once you've spoiled the surprise. Watch me," the youngest member of the Robotnik family took to the air instead, somersaulting over Vincent's head and dropping down behind him, instantly taking the boy into a death grip. "Prepare to sail into oblivion!" she laughed, whirling the boy around as she made for a throw. To her immense surprise, however, the male suddenly wrested out of her grasp and backed away. "What? How did you-?"

"Press the space-bar really fast," the boy explained amusedly, "Didn't I tell you?"

"No."

"Oh. I guess I should say 'sorry', then." Vincent smiled brightly, right before drawing back his fist and hitting the frail girl in the face so hard, she crashed through the window and was instantly swallowed by outer space. Maria shrieked, her eyes growing wide for a fraction of a second, but then she couldn't help but laugh. Shadow was still glaring, but at least Maria didn't seem too upset about her death and instead clapped her hands.

"Wow, Vincent, well played! Your game is great!"

"Heh, thanks…" the grey-haired boy rubbed the back of his head, blushing as he smiled at the blonde girl. The fact that the black-furred hedgehog at her other side looked ready to rip his head off went ignored.

"Yeah. I'm sure the fact that he designed our characters much weaker than his avatar is completely irrelevant," Shadow threw in, his tone dripping enough acid to dissolve a small mammal.

"Oh, come on, Shadow, Vincent single-handedly wrote and programmed a beat-em-up video game! With us as playable characters! I think that is incredible," Maria beamed at both the surly Ultimate Lifeform and her human friend. The three were still sitting in front of three laptops on the floor the boy had wired up to form an impromptu LAN. The screens of both Maria and Shadow now showed smoking ruins, while the third displayed a proudly smirking Vincent who was twirling a gun that seemed several times too large for his body.

"Well, there isn't that much else to do up here, is there?" Vincent asked, giving Maria a (in Shadow's humble opinion disgusting) little smile. "And somehow I've just always been good with computers, y'know?"

"Yeah, I remember," the girl nodded. "It's your best subject in long-distance-school, isn't it?"

"Pretty much," Vincent agreed. "Of course, those computer learning programmes aren't half as much fun anymore since you are being tutored personally by your grandfather and I'm all alone."

"Yeah, well, sor-_ry_," Shadow replied, stretching the word in a way that made it clear he wasn't very sorry at all. "But professor Gerald simply seems to consider me and Maria the better students. Maybe because we don't spend all our time video gaming."

"Shadow. Don't start," Maria warned, already knowing they'd probably have a very realistic replay of 'Super Vincent Brawl Bros' soon if she didn't nip this in the bud.

"No, you don't have to tell him off, Maria," Vincent replied easily, using a somewhat patronizing tone that made Shadow's Chaos-infused blood boil. "The poor animal clearly doesn't know any better. He doesn't realize that being a 14-year old programmer already gives me a lot better employment chances than, say, being a lab rat existing to be experimented on."

"_Vincent!_" Maria shouted, now clearly angry. "You promised you would stop talking like this about Shadow!"

"Let him. It's his way of coping with his minority complex. After all, when you're not somebody who will help find a cure for a disease to save thousands of people, but merely program a couple of videogames and then die in some war of your idiot father's, it can be kind of depressing," Shadow bared sharp hedgehog incisors in a cruel grin, ignoring Maria's frustrated shriek in the background.

The teenage girl mentally wanted to bash both boys' heads together, but she also knew that violence could and should never be the answer. She really didn't know what to do with them.

One-year-old Shadow would have curled up and cried at Vincent's brutal words. Two-year-old Shadow would have immediately leapt and brawled with the human boy, their egos probably being off worse than their bodies. But this three-going-on-four-year-old Shadow had matured enough to meet challengers with verbal punches before he turned physical and his restraint was a lot greater than it once had been. But all it meant was that the fights between Vincent and the Ultimate Lifeform simply had gotten a lot dirtier.

"What would you know what an IT-expert really can do apart from programming games?" Vincent scathed. "You noob wouldn't even be able to find the computer _room_!"

"What does that have to do with anything?" Shadow asked, annoyed as he had the feeling that some inside joke had just gone over his head.

OoO

"Huh. You never cease to surprise me, Shadow."

"Oh yeah?" The black hedgehog raised an eye ridge. The shower seemed to have done Sonic good. The blue hedgehog was looking a lot livelier and had been walking around the darkened living room, stretching his legs.

"Sure," Sonic agreed. "First I find out the Ultimate Lifeform can get sick from a common cold, _now_ I know you suck at videogames."

_Then again,_ Shadow mused, _just because he's already showered doesn't mean I can't still drown him in the bathtub._

Ooo

"Help out Snively? _Seriously?"_ Shadow asked, regarding Gerald disbelievingly over the rim of his book he had been reading. It was a rather strange choice of literature – the _Arabian Nights_ – but the professor knew Shadow often plundered Maria's private library when he had nothing better to do and his granddaughter had with her teenage years developed a bit of a penchant for romantic fantasy. Even the Twilight novels she had gotten from her mother for her birthday now looked rather well-worn – that, and there had been a (fortunately brief) phase where both Gerald, Shadow and Vincent had all been ready to scream if they had to hear the name 'Edward' one more time.

Now Gerald shrugged apologetically. "I know. But unfortunately, it's still the Commander's call."

"That ten-inch excuse for a scientist blew _three_ experiments and murdered six people. And Graves _still_ grants him use of me?" Shadow asked, irritation in his voice. The old scientist shook his head.

"Apparently. However, the bright side is that this time there is absolutely no danger, pain or stress for you involved."

"A rarity," the Ultimate Lifeform remarked dryly, slowly climbing out of his non-locking cage where had been curled up among the cushions with his book. Outside, he straightened.

"By the way, have you ever thought about getting the cot inside here again? I mean, the cage was alright when I was smaller, but now it is getting cramped in there…"

"I'll see what I can do. But you know that you're technically to be confined in this lab, so the most I might be able to manage is get you a bigger cage. I'm sorry," Gerald said, his moustache drooping.

"Yeah. That'll do," replied Shadow, albeit without much enthusiasm. He put the book he'd been reading back onto his pillow, then looked up at the professor. "Shall we go, then?"

"Yes. Let me type in the security code…" Gerald muttered, hitting the numbers on the keypad that would let the door open and notify soldiers that he would be coming through with Shadow in tow. It wasn't anything unusual anymore that the old Robotnik accompanied the Ultimate Lifeform to and from the experiments and fighting training in the various rooms and labs aboard the ARK, but had the soldiers known that Shadow frequently at night went on his _own_ expeditions, they might just have been a little bit edgier.

"Where is Maria at the moment, do you know?" Gerald asked as they strode past two young men from GUN paying no attention to them.

"Either she's down at the pool practicing swimming," – Shadow shuddered at the thought- "…or she's at the Chaos lab again, researching some more of the Chaos crystal. She's been obsessed with it, recently."

_That, or she finds the gem stones somewhat more nerve-calming than me in the same room with that annoying brat Vincent._

Shadow hadn't told professor Gerald about their little gaming session last week which ultimately had ended with Vincent upending the chips bowl over Shadow's head and an irate Ultimate Lifeform dousing the human with lemonade, which lead to a short-circuit aboard that section of the space-colony and all three kids had taken that as a cue to leave the room rather hurriedly.

_Technically,_ Shadow felt himself too old for such behaviour by now, but then again, there was hardly any adult who _didn't_ have the wish to leisurely pour their own drink over some annoying person at a party or other.

"Hmm. She shouldn't be working herself so hard. Heaven knows our family members tend to do that anyway, but still," Gerald mused. "Yet I have to admit she is brilliant. Every bit Robotnik," he gave a sad smile, but Shadow could not overhear the definite pride in the voice of the elderly scientist, a man who knew every bit of the fate a genius mind entailed.

"Yeah," Shadow agreed, he himself always impressed when he couldn't make head or tail of the notes his friend was scribbling down. But still, it only meant he loved her more, her mind and spirit outshining everything her body lacked.

OoO

"Uhh, Shadow?"

"Yes?"

"Rambling about Maria again."

"Oh."

OoO

"Well, what experiment does Snively need me for, then?" Shadow asked, the change of topic in the story rather abrupt, but not noticeable. "I hope nothing particularly time-consuming?"

"No," Gerald replied, "It's simple, really. His latest project is a battle robot called the 'Gizoid.' It is supposed to be able to learn and reproduce the techniques of its adversary, and today Snively is going to scan you while you perform your standard attacks so he can work with that data as a test sample."

"Right. Should I accidentally destroy one of his cameras?"

Gerald cracked a smile. "While I enjoy the thought, Shadow, ultimately it would only take longer. However, I've convinced Nate to add small traces of peanuts to Snively's lunch today, to which I happen to know he's allergic. Ahhh, and here's the man himself! Doctor Snively, my esteemed colleague!" Gerald greeted the vertically challenged scientist with a brilliant if fake smile as the door opened. Shadow couldn't help but snort as he beheld the small man, his face covered in angry red pustules caused by the food allergy.

Snively gave Gerald a suspicious glare, perhaps wondering whether the older man had not been sniffing a bit too much of his chemical experiments. Trying to act as if his face looked perfectly normal, he nodded stiffly at the other scientist.

"Ah, professor. I hope you don't mind if we begin straight away?"

OoO

"Wait, this Snively creep designed the Gizoid? As in, Emerl? That guy so far was responsible for one cocked-up operation after the other. Are you _sure _the gizoids we fought were really designed by _him_?"

"If you remember, Sonic, the Gizoid was ultimately defeated by a six-year old and her bow-tie wearing chao. So, yes, I am very sure it was another one of Snively's creations."

(In truth, of course, the Gizoid was a creation from a long-forgotten era of an ancient civilization. Snively had only re-discovered the designs and tried to make them workable. Gerald had taught Maria and Shadow about the so-called Fourth Great Realm the Gizoids stemmed from in history, but Shadow knew that if he would expand on that _now, _the blue-furred hero would probably fall asleep right where he sat, threat of Chaos Spear or no.)

The time was nearly four o'clock in the morning now, meaning they had been sitting here for more than six hours. Secretly, the Ultimate Lifeform was surprised Sonic had endured so far. But it had to mean that something inside the once fastest thing alive wanted to live again…

OoO

"This is degrading."

"Shut it, hedgehog," Snively snapped, obviously unwilling to exchange more words than necessary with the creation of the elder Robotnik that had already done so much for his humiliation. Shadow merely smirked, and Gerald, watching from the sidelines couldn't help but wonder whether Shadow with his new Chaos powers wasn't becoming a bit too self-assured and over-confident. But then again, you probably couldn't name someone the 'Ultimate Lifeform' and then expect them to grow up to out-class the Dalai Llama in humility.

"What's the matter, human?" Shadow asked, his voice tinged with faint amusement. "Cat got your hedgehog?"

"_Shut _it, UL 2/23, or else I will stick one of these in your _mouth_," the scientist resembling a lawn ornament grated, attaching another one of the light blue plastic balls to Shadow's arm. So far, the black hedgehog was covered in about twenty of them, the adhesive little orbs sticking to his ears, legs, shoes, torso, back and head. A menacing growl had only just prevented Snively from trying to get one onto his tail.

"Try it and you lose one of your fingers," Shadow replied coolly, only earning another irritated grunt from the Mobian-sized human. Of course, he knew that Snively wasn't likely to actually go through with his threat. The little Doctor was uneasy enough in this close proximity to Shadow as it was, especially after he had killed off Snively's Ultimate Lifeform attempt so easily. However, for his experiment it was necessary that he attached the blue balls to every part of Shadow's body that was needed for a continuous movement tracking over the camera. Only this way he would be able to obtain the necessary data when the Ultimate Lifeform demonstrated his attacks for the Gizoid. When he had finally finished, the green-clad scientist quickly retreated to the observation room to bring his recording equipment in order, while Shadow was left feeling like someone who had first jumped into a vat of superglue to then proceed with World's Biggest Ball Pool.

Gerald was also still there, having offered to stay for 'moral support' but Shadow knew his creator's real reason had been watching that the Ultimate Lifeform didn't get any ideas re: little vendettas. Not only his constant squabbles with Vincent had convinced Gerald that the black hedgehog had a definite vengeful streak and, if it hadn't been for Maria calming him down, one _hell_ of a grudge-potential.

_Oh, Shadow, whatever would you do if she wasn't around? _

"Right. You can begin," Snively's nasal voice emanated at this point from the side-room, addressing Shadow in the bare training studio. "Show us your moves. Run, dash, accelerate, sudden turns and stops. The whole programme. Go."

The black hedgehog rolled his eyes as if he was Houdini asked to perform for a kid's birthday party, but then reluctantly got to work. Gerald couldn't help but think it was a marvellous display of skill, strength, and most of all _speed_. His hedgehog's trained, lithe body almost _danced_ in the air as powerskates blazed like falling stars and black spines cut through invisible enemies with deadly grace. He almost couldn't believe that it had only been close to four years since he had awakened a small, shivering bundle of quills from the green liquid in the tube, the only one to make it after 22 of his brothers had died before…

Shadow had gone from scared, alien cub to boasting pre-teen and later arrogant warrior, from traumatized child soldier to cold-blooded killer, from helpless victim of cruel experiments to grand master of Chaos. And while Gerald was sure there still had to be kindness in his heart somewhere, now it hid behind sarcastic wit and acerbic remarks, behind cold eyes and a joy of destruction in battle, behind an attitude that scarcely seemed to care for anything at all except Maria. The last battle against Shadow's clone seemed to have changed the black hedgehog...Gerald dreaded that Shadow might have gotten the impression that he really _was_ just mass-producible, that life mattered little because it was replaceable. Maybe it was even the ancient and everlasting energy of Chaos that was flowing through him – because to Chaos, God of Destruction, all living creatures had to be transient and ultimately irrelevant…would Shadow one day be as ageless and aloof as the creature of myths and legend?

Gerald knew his mind was rambling as he was otherwise rapt by Shadow's performance of lethal spin-dashes and killing whirlwinds, impossible back-flips and wall-runs, crackling Chaos fire burning on jet-black fur letting Gerald's neck hair rise. But he still couldn't help but wonder what he might yet have unleashed onto the world if Shadow were to turn his back on compassion and mercy…

If GUN were to use Shadow as a weapon…

_Pachamac, thousands of years ago you were blind to your folly…_

And Gerald wished with all his heart that he could only close his eyes as well and didn't have to see his vision of a burning future.

_To be continued... _

_

* * *

_Yikes. This is, like, three weeks overdue and wayyy to short. However, a computer crash does things to a person and if I had Chaos Powers, there would be several new craters around the place where I live now. Long story short, I had to write this chappie TWICE, but I do hope you like this second version and the next one shouldn't take as long again, seeing as I got my PC all repaired and shiny now. :P If you read, please review? :D

**_Next Up!_ Chapter 39: Almost Invincible **


	39. Almost Invincible

**Chapter 39: Almost Invincible**

"Well, that was hardly a challenge," Shadow commented as he and Gerald had left Snively's laboratory again. "There weren't even any opponents I could fight with. I'm beginning to grow bored even of GUN's training. Their battle robots are laughable."

"I'm happy to hear you're not sounding likely to get hurt in battle anytime soon," his creator replied, his voice carefully neutral.

"Well, I am the Ultimate Lifeform," Shadow stated, sounding satisfied with himself. "You created me like this. Other creatures simply have to be inferior, not even able to handle Chaos Power." He smirked, letting green sparks leap and dance on the palm of his hand.

"All life is equal, Shadow," Gerald's tone was slightly pained now. "And we should treat it as such."

"I guess, from a certain point of view," the black hedgehog shrugged. "After all, it was fairly easy to just create another me. If I died, there would be another 'Shadow'. Yeah, maybe not exactly _me_," he added with a wave of his hand before Gerald could say anything, "But close enough. I've learned enough about genetics and controlled molecular synthesis from you to know that making life is just as easy as taking it."

"Shadow. You don't mean that," the old man croaked, inwardly hurting from the callous words of the hedgehog. "After all, if living beings were insignificant, why would we both be working so hard to save Maria?" he asked softly and Shadow stiffened.

"Maria is…special," he finally admitted unwillingly, before walking on. "But that doesn't change anything. You've seen how perfectly the Gizoid could re-create my movements after Snively fed it with the data from the camera. If even _robots _can imitate us living creatures that easily, then what really makes us special?"

"We…simply _are_," Gerald replied unhappily, again colliding hard with the argumentative boundaries he encountered whenever a discussion turned toward the metaphysical instead of scientific theories. "Shadow, life is the most precious thing there _is_."

The black hedgehog sighed. "It's a nice thought, professor. But, after all," he said, looking over his shoulder for his red eyes to bore right into Gerald's, "Shouldn't _my _own existence topple that theory? I am an artificial creation, and for my purpose I could be replaced. That kind of thrashes the idea that everybody exists for a reason, doesn't it?"

Gerald ran a hand over his almost bald skull in helplessness. He had never been a religious man and never saw the sense in being one. Only now he wished he could at least present one argument to Shadow that would be able to contradict his harsh words.

"Shadow…for Maria a world would shatter if you died. Doesn't that mean something?"

The black hedgehog gave him the briefest of smiles.

"That's irrelevant, too. Because there's nothing that could kill _me_."

"But-"

"I'm sorry, professor. But I have to work on my paper on magnetism for you now, and I have to complete it before training with GUN resumes tomorrow. I'll be in Maria's room if you need me – maybe she'll be back by now."

"Yes. Sure. Don't forget that I still have to perform that lymph-node biopsy on you tonight, though," Gerald replied, sagging a little.

Shadow grimaced. "How could I?" he asked, before stepping through the sliding door into his friend's room, leaving a worrying old man behind.

Maria's room was still empty, so Shadow got to work alone. He played a little bit with the magnets he had used for some experiments for his essay and tried to stick them onto his power rings, but they wouldn't hold. Sighing, he took up his pen and started to scribble away, knowing that there might be little point in him having an education, but also being aware of the fact that aboard the ARK, studying and training were probably the only things that would prevent you from going mad. Or at least Maria had told him so. He wouldn't know, because the blue planet floating outside he had never set foot on…and if life didn't hold more than _this_, endless steel corridors and sick beds and sterile laboratories, then sometimes Shadow just wondered what would be the point of it all.

xxx

"Hahaha, yeah, sure, we can…oh." A laughing Vincent stopped short in the doorway of Maria's room, the girl having followed him in tow and now almost running into his back. "Oh, sorry! It's just your hedgehog again," Vincent added, sounding less than pleased at the sight of Shadow at the writing desk who now rose, giving the human teen a cool glare. "Apparently he seems to think that your room is his."

"Oh Vincent, not _this _again," Maria said sternly, pushing past him into her chamber. "I am _really_ growing tired of this, it's like listening to two broken records. And they at least would have volume control. Hi, Shadow. Snively's experiment with you already over?"

"Yeah," the black hedgehog shrugged, ignoring Vincent for now. "Nothing very challenging. I'm working on the magnetism paper right now," he added and Maria could already tell from the special way his left ear was drooping at a certain angle as he said that last part, that very soon it would probably be _her _working on the goddamn thing as well. She tried to suppress a smile.

"Uh-huh. Coming along nicely? Me and Vincent were just in the kitchen, wheedling some ice cream out of Nate. The latest blood transfusion programme grandpa put me on really lets me do a lot more stuff than I used to be able to. Thank you so much for making all this possible for me, Shadow." She hugged her midnight friend at this point, letting a at first rather bristling Shadow quickly dissolve into a docile pet.

"No worries, Maria," he murmured. "I'm happy to do this for you."

"Well, uh, wanna do something again tomorrow?" Vincent piped up at this, furiously trying to ignore the black hedgehog who was currently sneering over Maria's shoulder at him. "After all, it can't be much fun being cooped up in this room all day long with no real company."

"Vincent. I should think I know enough about linguistics to recognize a concealed jab when I hear one," she dead-panned him, and the grey-haired teen looked away.

"I'm sorry. Force of habit." Then, turning to her again and smiling, he cocked his head. "But hey, today was still a lot of fun, wasn't it?" he asked, pretending the low growling in the background just wasn't there. Technically, it was the exact type of growl that told your ape ancestor deep, deep inside of you that _now _was the perfect time to dash madly for a tree and shriek in panic, but the son of the Commander knew that with Maria here, Shadow wouldn't dare attack him, so he stood his ground. But the blonde girl shook her head.

"Sorry. But tomorrow I'm getting another all-over check, antibody counts, cardiogram, echo, blood samples, the whole thing. Grandpa has discovered a very promising new line of research with Shadow's bone marrow, so he wants to get ahead with the search for the cure. Maybe some other time."

"Oh," the male managed, looking a bit crestfallen again. "Yeah, I suppose. Then we could play the videogame again."

"That would be fun. But now if you'll excuse me for a moment…" she said, heading for the bathroom. "And when I come back I want all of my furniture still standing and you two at least two feet apart, okay?" she asked, closing the door behind her, the two males instantly going into caveman-mode.

"Had a pleasant day, hedgehog?" Vincent drawled, leaning casually against the door. "Maria is really quite cute when she licks her ice cream, you know?"

The Chaos inside Shadow _roared._

"It's good you could make her happy for a day," he replied, his voice still cool and even. "Of course, it'll be me who will finally cure her so she can be happy _every_ day, while you fret your relatively useless existence away on a spacestation where your father doesn't care about you and you haven't accomplished a single worthwhile thing in your life. Harsh when you can't do a thing for the girl you love, no?"

"I _don't_-! I mean…!" Vincent stammered, flushing brightly red, then instantly switching to hate. "This is NONE of your business!" he shouted.

"I'd dare say it is…" Shadow trailed off, managing a small smirk. "Because I'd gladly tell Maria what your intentions are and watch as your carefree relationship suddenly becomes awkward and one-sided. Or rather, more one-sided than it already is." The Ultimate Lifeform felt _brilliant. _Reading the girly magazines on Maria's bedside table was really paying off in terms of emotional blackmail.

"I'm going to kill you. I mean it. One way or the other, I'm going to make it happen that you die in one of the experiments." Vincent was breathing heavily, his voice hoarse. Shadow was distinctly non-impressed.

"Really. I think you're still daydreaming we're in one of your little video games, the only place where you ever had a smidgen of a chance to beat me." Shadow's upper lip curled. "In the real world it takes more than pushing buttons to kill someone. Ask me, I know." As if to demonstrate, he stretched out his hand toward Vincent, smirking. "Chaos…Sp…"

"_Don't you dare_!" the boy shrieked, stumbling backwards and pointing at Shadow, pale-faced. "You're a maniac! Robotnik is gonna regret the day he ever created you!" he shouted, pressing the button to open the door and stepping outside, still staring at Shadow with bulging eyes. "I knew it back then, I know it now! You're a murderer! You shouldn't be allowed to live!" so saying, he disappeared from the door and left Shadow who still looked as calm as ever. Shaking his head, he turned back to his magnetism essay until Maria emerged from her bathroom.

"Shadow? Has Vincent already gone?" She frowned. "_What_ did you do?"

"Nothing." Shadow smiled innocently. "He just remembered he had some important business to take care off. Something like moistening his undergarments I think."

"_Shadow."_ Maria's tone now was distinctly ticked. "I could hear you two yelling. This isn't gonna end well. I know you two don't like each other much, but aggravation just isn't the way to go, don't you understand? Some day something bad will happen to both of you if you continue like this." She squatted down in front of him, taking his hands. Shadow looked away.

"Plenty of bad stuff already has happened. I can take it, Maria. I'm strong enough."

"Oh, Shadow…" she sighed, hugging him. "This isn't about who's stronger. This is about not hurting each other. Can't you see that life is too precious to waste it on battles and fights?"

"So everybody keeps telling me." Shadow smiled and hugged her back. "Why don't I take your word for it and you help me with that current-induction in electromagnets in turn?"

Maria sighed and buried her face in the fur on his shoulder, before drawing breath for the sentence she had uttered many times before:

"Okay, but this is definitely the _last_ time I basically do your homework for you…"

xxx

"Okay, but definitely only for half an hour. You still have your monthly check-up today, you know," Gerald conceded unwillingly and Maria instantly grinned like a dieter who had found a hidden stash full of donuts.

"Yes! Thank you, grandpa!"

"But I still think it's no place for you," the old man muttered as he, his granddaughter, and Shadow were once more bound for the GUN arena for Shadow's regular training the next morning.

"But why?" Maria asked light-heartedly. "Shadow's only fighting against mechas and he himself says they're no problem for him. It'll be perfectly safe in the observation room."

"Sure. It'll also be a lot more fun showing my tricks to you than performing for that ridiculous gizoid," Shadow agreed easily.

Gerald sighed. For some reason, he had a bad feeling about this. Then again, he also had bad feelings about almost everything nowadays, including, but not limited to, oatmeal and his own socks.

They passed the sign that signaled the beginning of the military half of the ship and while Maria and Gerald instinctively stiffened, Shadow just walked on with a bored expression. It darkened further when Vincent was there to greet them when they arrived at the arena. Chaos, wasn't there _any _way to get rid of that brat?

"Hey, Maria!" the boy called, waving over to her while two soldiers showed up to separate Shadow from his human family and take him down to the fighting area. "Cool that you decided to drop by after all, I hear today they're gonna give the hedgehog some tough nuts to crack."

The blonde girl drew a grimace. "Please, Vincent. I don't appreciate the way either you or Shadow talk about fighting. Both of you seem to think it is some kind of game and won't realize that someone could get hurt. In video games it might be fun, but in real life, violence is _wrong._"

"Hey, without wars and the need to weed out the weak we would never had any development, my dad says. That's how evolution works and that's right, isn't it?"

"It's inhuman, fascist ideology, Vincent." Maria scowled. "Please tell me you don't mean that."

"Well…" the boy looked to the side, shifting uncomfortably. Maria was usually sweet and tried towards compromise and defusing situations, but at times her sharp mind would lash out with brutal rhetoric.

Now she raised an eye brow. "I have a genetic disease, Vincent. Technically, I am an evolutionary mistake. Now, should I be 'weeded out'?" she asked and the boy looked ever more awkward.

"I didn't mean it like that…"

"Well, then how did you mean it? Because the _last_ time some people had had the idea of 'weeding out the weak' and 'purifying the race'…well, I don't need to tell you what happened, do I?"

"But that was ages ago," mumbled Vincent, but one could see he was defeated. "Let's forget about this and just watch the fight, okay?"

"Sure." Maria shrugged, but the temperature had dropped several degrees. "But honestly, sometimes I wish you two would just wake up. Maybe it's just me who has to get up every morning knowing her immune system is a ticking time bomb, but I really wish you would appreciate what you have more. What does it take for you to realize how priceless it is to be alive?" She sighed. "Not even Shadow sometimes seems to care…"

Down below, Shadow had just stepped into the arena again, waiting for the battle robot to emerge. The door in the opposite wall opened into blackness, at first impenetrable even to his optimally engineered crimson eyes. Then, slowly, a shape began to step from the gloom…

"This is Scorpion Troop's B-3x HotShot," announced Graves from above. "Commence Fight."

The creature looked a bit like a serious Star Wars nerd had been allowed into GUN's design facilities. It was some sort of battle walker, a small cockpit suspended between two huge, piston-like multi-jointed legs, claw-reminiscent broad feet at their ends. To the left and right of the cockpit two large rectangle cannon barrels were mounted, albeit both still covered by shutters to open later.

The colour-scheme, on the other hand, was an apparently traffic-light inspired creation that George Lukas would never have approved of. The robot was painted in dirty yellows, greens and reds, looking like a five-year old Vincent had gone overboard with his lego-box.

Seasoned!Mecha-Expert Shadow scoffed.

Then, however, his eyes widened as suddenly the walker fired up a booster below his cockpit, roaring blue flames lifting the contraption into the air, metal legs folded up like a bird's. It shot towards Shadow, who skated out of the way hurriedly, the robot barreling past to turn around almost immediately. The black hedgehog growled, charging up a Chaos Spear from the surrounding Chaos Energy and hurled it towards the cockpit – only for it to be deflected harmlessly.

"Your Chaos attacks are useless in this controlled setting," Graves' voice informed him from above. "You will have to take it down manually."

The split-second distraction would almost have been enough to finish the fight once and for all. Once more the GUN walker had soared overhead, but this time it was firing from all barrels, bullets spraying over the floor underneath it and Shadow rolled out of the way just in time. A little grin tugged at the edge of this mouth as he got onto his feet again.

Finally, a bit of a challenge.

He started to run in a circle around the contraption, preparing for the attack he had learned from his unlucky clone – curling up and hitting your enemy with the sharp spines on your back. The rolling-into-a-ball part came easily to him, but maintaining your balance and orientation was somewhat trickier when you were spinning around your own axis several times per second.

The B-3x curved gracefully overhead, landing on the opposite end of the arena before proceeding to open the two cannons wielded onto its 'shoulders.' Immediately, rockets were screaming through the air, all of them aiming for Shadow.

The Ultimate Lifeform smirked and zig-zagged through them as if they were unfortunate canaries who had somehow fluttered onto an F-Zero Lane. Explosions behind him let the floor shudder, but he payed them no heed. He was directly in front of the robot now, the machine trying to compute the fast speed of its target and having stopped firing for a split-second.

Shadow leapt.

His body went into a spin and the world into a blur as he drew his limbs inside a tightly-tucked ball, close to his gravity center. Brightly burning skates accelerated the motion while he could feel gravity becoming an option, 'up' and 'down' no longer concepts in a world that was 360-degree madness. And then came the impact. With all the force of velocity, Shadow could suddenly feel his backspines being pressed inwards as he made contact with the re-inforced glass of the cockpit where the processing hardware of the robot had to be located. Beneath him, he could briefly hear metal _grinding, _before he was already repelled again, a result from his tough spikes sending him flying once more. Shadow uncurled in the air, briefly expecting to see smouldering ruins, but the robot was still standing, only smoke a tell-tale sign Shadow had actually dealt damage.

"This is too easy," Graves surmised. "Activate the wall cannons."

The Ultimate Lifeform cursed as a laser blast immediately singed his ear. Rushing forward, all his senses were on high alert now, aware that he had to dodge both the attacks of the battle robot flying again, as well as the randomized shots from openings in the circular walls, a design supposed to imitate a real battlefield with bullets flying loose in all directions. A single blast from any of them was enough to evaporate flesh.

Of course, they never seemed to target the robots.

Nevertheless, Shadow didn't have a problem evading them. Electrical nerve impulses ran through his body at the speed of lightning bolts, muscles reacting to threats the moment his senses perceived them. Flames and explosions erupted around him when laser blasts hit rockets, but he didn't care. Shadow _danced _in fire.

Once again, flying walker and midnight hedgehog circled each other like partners in a deadly quickstep, the robot having upped his manoeuvring speed, but still no match for the Ultimate Lifeform. Another blast from blazing jet shoes, another lethal whirl of spines and the B-3x took the second hit, bringing his damage up to critical level, sparks mingling with the acrid smoke now.

"B-3x! Last resort: Plasma cannon!" Graves barked through the microphone in the observation room. Inside, the faces of the watchers varied greatly. The GUN commander looked on dispassionately, but his stare was intense. Gerald could never tell whether the fall of his metal soldiers pleased or infuriated him.

The old Robotnik had a detached expression, himself. Sorrow, pride and worry were all leaving faint traces on his face while his scientific mind could not help but marvel at the ingenuity of technique and power on both sides of the fight.

Vincent meanwhile was merely snarling whenever Shadow managed to escape a hit or dealt a blow to his opponent, apparently still hoping the hedgehog would get hurt in some way, be it the wall cannons or the robot itself.

Maria's eyes were shining, but to Gerald it was obvious the girl was caught in a serious struggle – as much as she loved to see her friend show off his power, display his terrific skills which she so sorely lacked, at the same time she despised the circumstances accompanying this fight; GUN forcing Shadow to become a weapon trained for war, the bane of mankind since the dawn of time. The violence and explosions awed and fascinated her at a primal level, but in contrast to Vincent, she still she was repulsed by it, knowing that as glorious and thrilling this battle may seem, in reality fighting robots were responsible for crying mothers and children missing parents or limbs. And all four of them stared down at the bolt of black lightning tearing through the arena surrounded by death.

Shadow was funnelling ever more power into his skates to circle his adversary and position himself for a final attack to bring the B-3x down. Red eyes narrowed as suddenly a shrill whine emanated from the machine and the air was charged with electric current…

Red bars of a laser cage suddenly locked down in front of him.

"What-?" Shadow dodged to the side, but the cage followed him, encircling him, moving with him like poisonous miasma.

"Shadow! It's a tracking marker!" Maria's voice suddenly shrilled through the overhead microphone and his eyes widened. Another randomized laser blast shot by haphazardly close to his head and he realized she was right. The robot was charging up some kind of cannon and if he didn't escape from this cage of red light he would be hit full-on. Shadow doubted that even he could survive this.

He jumped, rolled on the floor and went into a hook-turn, but still the whine only continued to become shriller and the marker never left him. In a last resort, he finally jumped against a wall, curled up and _rebounded, _the plasma cannon impacting upon the spot he had just hit. Shadow uncurled in mid-air and could feel the rush of searing air hit his back and flatten his fur. The temperature had to have been close to a thousand degrees at the centre.

"No!" Vincent hit the control board in the observation room with his fist, shouting in frustration. Shadow didn't even show he'd heard, merely leaping upwards once more and delivering a devastating kick to the now re-charging robot, which let it break down entirely. The wall cannons stopped firing as always as the fight had ended and finally, there reigned silence in the arena.

"Hmph. Piece of cake." Shadow dropped down next to the wreck, landing with his hands on his hips and eyes glinting. He had given Maria a show! Raising his right arm and smiling, he waved at her.

And then, in a split second a laser blast from behind cut through his shoulder and up, and his arm was vaporized instantly.

Gerald gasped. Graves' head snapped forward. Shadow clutched disbelievingly at the bloody stump where a second ago his limb had been. Maria screamed…

It was the last thing Shadow heard before he fell forward into unconsciousness.

_To be continued…

* * *

_

If you read, please review! Anyone saw that coming? ;) I hope you liked the chapter and the battle scene...and you can try to name the sonic game I took the robot from, it's an early boss. :D I seem to be making a habit out of cliffies lately...oh, well. Please tell me what you think!


	40. A Matter of Life And Death

**Chapter 40: ****A Matter Of Life And Death **

Shadow opened his eyes and found that it hurt. He closed them again, but unfortunately, that stinging pain in his eyes seemed to have woken up the _rest_ of his body, which now responded in kind. By hurting.

Shadow groaned with his face scrunched up, briefly wondering why his voice sounded so tinny and distorted.

Then another thought occurred to him.

Technically, he should be dead.

Crimson eyes flew open and Shadow gasped. The world was green liquid pain, and right in his eyes. It didn't make sense at first, and the black hedgehog had to blink rapidly before he began to understand what was going on – the unpleasant sensation on his cornea was the same as when he had been submerged in the chlorinated swimming pool and the blasted water had gotten into his eyes, aggravating them and giving him a major headache – and now he was underwater again. Panicking for a fraction of a second, he tried to twist to escape the situation and make for the surface, but suddenly noticed he seemed to be tied down – and then realized that there was also a mask over his nose and muzzle that had been feeding him air so far. And there were wires attached to his body…

Shadow frowned as his strategic nature kicked in, forcing himself to think about the new situation before jumping to any conclusions. He narrowed his eyes. They seemed to be adjusting to the new medium he was suspended in - floating upright in a tank of some sort, it seemed.

Slowly, the contours in front of him began to grow less indistinct and he thought he could make out a glass wall only two feet from his face…Shadow reached out to touch it.

And it was when nothing happened that he glanced down and saw that his right arm was simply gone.

Recollection hit akin a thunderbolt. Shadow arched and cried out into the plastic mask as the pain seemed to strike in synch with the memories.

Agony rushed out from his mutilated shoulder like an electric current, inflaming his nerves, creating an explosion in his head and searing right down to his toes, ripping through his body mercilessly as it went.

The black hedgehog's face contorted into a mask of suffering, his rapid breathing and hoarse cry fogging up the clear plastic attached to his muzzle. The first blinding rush of the stabbing pain receded, to be replaced with duller waves radiating through his form at intervals. Shadow was now bent double, sucking in the air heavily, trying to get himself back under control. This was bad. His arm was _gone _and he was virtually helpless in this new prison. He had to calm down, get a grip on this situation…he tried to focus on the sucking rhythm of his breathing sounds inside the mask and the low hum of machines in the background. Slowly, he was able to upright himself again, unfolding his slender body in the liquid element. Wincing, he once more turned his face to look at his right side.

The shoulder just…ended. Shadow couldn't see any horror-movie staples like fractured bones or torn arteries hanging out of the wound, but rather it seemed to be covered in some sort of glistening green slime, almost opaque, in colour only slightly darker than the strange water he was suspended in.

Shadow frowned and wondered whether it would be appropriate to poke it. He moved his legs as he suddenly felt the need to confirm that the rest of his body was okay and sighed in relief as he could only feel the faint burn of strained muscles, but was able to confirm all other limbs were present and accounted for. The Ultimate Lifeform raised an eye ridge as he noticed that his shoes and gloves – well, make that _one_ glove - were gone, only the rings around his ankles and wrist remaining. The things felt oddly lose without the cuffs beneath them.

Shadow squinted as he once again tried to discern what was outside of his new submerged cage, raising his left arm this time to steady his palm against the glass – was this a cylinder they'd put him in? – and bent his head forward, trying to see through…

"_Shadow_!"

"…Maria?" the Ultimate Lifeform managed, the voice as familiar as his own immediately giving him new strength. Eyes that were still blinking in an effort to adjust to the liquid surrounding him narrowed even more before he was able to recognize a moving shape in front of the glass that came ever closer…before it finally dissolved into the face belonging to the most important person in the entire world, staring at him only inches from the transparent wall of his prison.

"You're awake!"

"And you're uncharacteristically stating the obvious," Shadow rasped, a weak smirk tugging at the edges of his mouth before immediately wincing again as a new wave of pain washed over him and he had to keep himself from instinctively reaching out to cover the wound with his healthy hand, certain that that would do more damage than good. "Where am I?" he asked as soon as he had his voice back under control, noting the sting in his heart as Maria's eyes mirrored his suffering. He steadied his left hand against the glass wall and felt a strange warmth in his chest as Maria placed her own against it, only two inches separating them now.

"You're in grandpa's lab again…he's going to come back soon, now that you're conscious," the girl replied, obviously trying to sound cheerful again for his sake. "Then we can try to fix you up."

"What happened at the arena? I mean, _apart _from the obvious," he added dryly, glancing sideways at his shoulder. Short black fur at the edge of the wound was wafting silently in the swirls of the green liquid his movements created.

"Well…you probably pieced together that one of the laser cannons on the wall went off after the battle was supposed to have been over…" she hesitated, grabbing her left elbow with the other hand in an uncharacteristic show of awkwardness around Shadow. "It was Vincent who activated it, BUT-!"

She raised her voice, but was droned out anyway. The mere name of the Commander's son was enough to tear a feral snarl from Shadow's throat and make the black hedgehog punch the wall of his tank in red-hot fury, a worryingly loudly resounding crunch and creaking noise indicating that he very well could have broken it by chance.

"WILL you stop it!" Maria called out, the blond-haired girl having stumbled back reflexively from the attack. She recovered quickly, though, and was back at the glass in an instant, her usually kind blue gaze now apparently trying to get the water inside Shadow's container to boil. She couldn't very well punch as hard as him, but the viciousness with which she poked a finger at the glass in front of his face indicated that that didn't mean she wasn't willing to try.

"THAT kind of behaviour is _exactly _what got you in here and now you will listen to me! You do know that you're completely at my mercy right now, don't you…?" she trailed off, her arm swinging around to indicate the various machines that had their tubes and wires attached to Shadow, regulating his air, nutrient drip, composition of the liquid he was suspended in, monitoring his heartbeat, Chaos Energy levels and Chaos knew what else. Shadow couldn't help but swallow. Being threatened by Maria was a lot like being threatened by a baby panda, but that didn't mean it wouldn't unnerve you like hell.

"Yeah. That's right," she nodded, apparently satisfied that she now had the hedgehog's undivided attention. She put her hands on her hips. "It was definitely Vincent who pushed the button, but he said he slipped and didn't mean to. And honestly, I'm inclined to believe him, because the control panel for those battle arenas is so complicated, even grandpa would have trouble operating it, he told me. I doubt that Vincent would have the mental capabilities to work out which button to push to shoot you at the exact right time at the exact right angle."

"Yeah, well, maybe he didn't," Shadow retorted surly. "I'm pretty sure that laser blast was aimed at my _heart_."

Maria sighed and silently counted to ten. In hexadecimal.

"Shadow. Please. I need you to understand this. Violence. Is not. The answer. And I _will_ beat you over the head with my ethics book if you don't accept it until you do," she said, a faint pained smile accompanying the last sentence. "Because you and Vincent have been such fanatics where this whole martial nonsense and glorified battle rubbish are concerned, you've ended up here in the first place," she continued and her eyes darkened again with a touch of sorrow as she looked at the hole Shadow's missing limb had torn into his body.

"You need to let go of all these revenge ideas, and retribution and, I don't know, thinking that you have to make others suffer and destroy things in order to set them right." She sighed again. "At least you have some thinking time now, I guess…"

"'Thinking time', yeah, right," Shadow snorted. "What's going to happen to me now? How long will I be in here?" he asked, already feeling twitchy. Ever since GUN had locked him up more than two years ago he had grown to hate confinement more than anything else.

"Quite a while, unfortunately, Shadow." A new voice cut into their conversation and both hedgehog and human girl turned their heads toward the newcomer. Professor Gerald Robotnik was striding into the lab, wiping his hands on some unspecified rag. "You have taken a lot of damage."

"Professor!" Shadow called out, immediately pressing his face against the glass. "Can you really fix this?"

"I hope." The old man in the white lab coat exhaled. "That liquid you're in is a highly saturated nanite solution, containing all the building blocks one needs to rebuild organic matter from scratch. The nanorobots in there are already covering your wound and are working on it as we speak."

"Right." Shadow nodded once, before feeling another stab of pain firing up from the slime-coated stump and the black hedgehog couldn't suppress another brief grimace. "How long is this going to take?"

"Well…" the professor didn't meet his eye. "Do you remember those _Harry Potter_ books you and Maria read together?"

"I do," Shadow replied. He actually had quite fond memories of that particular episode in their childhood – in an effort to keep up with the popular culture on Earth to prevent his two grandchildren from growing up as complete hermits, the old scientist had ordered all seven volumes of the fantasy epic that everybody on the planet seemed to be talking about. Young Shadow had quite enjoyed them - althoughGerald had been a bit worried about the hedgehog's continuing preoccupation concerning certain Forbidden Curses. But all in all (or at least in comparison to the sparkly horror that was that _Twilight_ stuff, which Maria inexplicably seemed fond of now) it had been a happy time and he had liked the story. "What about it?" he asked his creator.

"Well, then you certainly remember the scene where Harry got his bones regrown over night with the magical Skele-gro, don't you?" Gerald asked again, sounding strangely hesitant now.

"Yeah, so…?" Shadow nudged the old man verbally to continue, getting a bit annoyed with the snail pace that information seemed to be shared at here. "Does that mean I can leave this tank soon?" he asked hopefully.

"Well, _actually_, I was going to say it'll be just as painful, but will take a whole lot longer. Sorry."

Shadow let his forehead connect with the glass to an audible _bonk_.

ooo

Sonic had listened to the last part of the story so far wide-eyed, not taking his eyes off Shadow's right arm ever since it had got vaporized in the tale. Finally, he pointed at the limb. "So…that's actually…"

"My arm that has grown back, yes," Shadow replied, absent-mindedly running his left hand through the black fur of the other limb. It only worked because of my unique cell structure and the bacteria the professor had injected me with at birth, though, which apparently possess quite the regenerating capabilities."

"Coughwolverine_cough._"

"What?"

"Nothing!" Sonic once more looked at him entirely innocent and Shadow let it pass. Next, the blue hedgehog became once again serious anyway.

"Wow, though…" Sonic said, tilting his head forward to inspect Shadow's arm ever more closely as if he was expecting to discover a 'made in Chun-nan'-tag any moment now that the secret was out. "It looks like nothing ever happened."

"To you, I guess." Shadow shrugged, before leaning backwards and crossing both arms in front of his chest to avoid Sonic's curious investigation. He held his right hand in front of his face as if inspecting it himself now, but his gaze held no emotion save a slight bitterness. "There's no way I could aim a gun or other weapon with it now. Can't even write properly. Officially left-handed, you might say," Shadow snorted slightly. "Also, once it had regrown, I got a very ample demonstration of what the professor and Maria had been trying to tell me all along." Shadow's tone made Sonic swallow slightly and blue eye ridges rose in mild surprise as the black hedgehog then proceeded to take off his white gloves. He balled both hands into fists and held them out toward Sonic akin a person about to be handcuffed.

"Here, take a look at this," the Ultimate Lifeform said, nodding toward the backs of his hands. "The fur is not in place anymore."

What he said was right. The red streaks running along Shadow's arms were identical, but where they ended on the back of his hands, they differed. On the left one, the stripe branched out into a clean-cut diamond pattern like one you might find on a playing card. On the right hand, however, it became an unruly and messy patch of a tribal-like, jagged swirl, the red fur letting it look like somebody had carved up the back of Shadow's hand with a knife.

"No matter how good you are, you can't reproduce something living," Shadow's voice brought Sonic back to the present. "This arm is but a pale copy of what I once had," he continued, pulling his gloves back on and without thinking smoothing over the ridge of fur on his right shoulder where his pelt seemed to be growing in two opposite directions. Sonic hadn't consciously noticed it before, but now he supposed that it had to be where the cut must once have been.

"So, if you ever consider taking the life of a creature or damaging a healthy, living organism, think of the fact that you won't ever be able to make it undone." Shadow tilted his head as he said this, underlining the statement with a gesture of his left arm, palm up and hand open before he closed it, letting a brief shudder run down Sonic's spine not only at his words but also at the gruesome scene the black-furred limb now conjured up in his mind.

He had thought of killing Robotnik, but now for the second time Shadow's story drove the point home that this would scarcely alleviate his guilt. If the black hedgehog had not come along, Sonic might have tried to resort to murder in his despair and therefore let Robotnik ruin the life that Tails had sacrificed himself for after all…

He was suddenly reminded of the juggling Shadow had been able to do before in his tale – and how he had told Sonic that he couldn't do it anymore. They had destroyed something beautiful…

Sonic had to resist the urge to bite his lip.

"Chaos, Shadow, that's…I'm sorry…"

"It doesn't matter anymore," the black hedgehog shrugged. "Maria back then told me that there's lots of people who've lost arms and legs and _they_ never got a replacement. In comparison to that, I was lucky."

"Hnh." Sonic nodded absent-mindedly. See the bright side of things…at least he still had a working, unscathed body. There were still people who cared about him. He wasn't fully broken yet. He wondered whether his optimism might return as slowly as the sun would have to rise soon…

ooo

"Bored."

"I know, Shadow. I'm sorry, I can't help it. I'm trying, you know?"

"Yes, I know." The black hedgehog sighed into his mask. It had been two months since he had woken up in the liquid-filled tank and so far, he hadn't left it. The growth of his new arm was coming along nicely, according to Gerald, and the nanites had already reconstructed most of the bone, giving Shadow a somewhat creepy skeleton appendage, now completely covered in the green slime that indicated healthy nanobots at work. But _damn_, had the professor been right, it hurt. Stupid nerve regrowth…

"I could read something to you. How about _New Moon_?"

"…I think I prefer being bored."

Shadow mentally had to chuckle at the immediately offended expression of his friend but then quickly tried to make amends. "Hey, don't take it personally. How about another game of chess instead?"

"…okay," Maria conceded, walking off to get the board. Since she always won their chess matches anyway, she knew that this was obviously a peace offering on the hedgehog's part. Shadow breathed shallower so he would float to the floor of the tank where he'd be able to see the board better and tell Maria where to move his pieces. The tube attached to his mask meant he couldn't move that freely in his underwater sick bed, but vertical movements were no problem. Inwardly, he was incredibly grateful that Maria was spending so much time with him to prevent him from going insane through a lack of distractions. He was officially off-limits now to anyone sans Professor Gerald, and that meant he and the blond-haired girl had been able to see each other as much as they hadn't since their earliest childhood. Shadow actually thought he had brightened up considerably ever since his arm got blasted off just because she was there and that was all he needed.

"Okay. Will you be playing as white or black?"

"Do you even have to ask?" Shadow replied easily, eliciting a small smile from Maria as she set the board. Gerald had actually offered to knock Shadow out for the duration of the healing process to spare him the pain and the boredom inside the tube, but the hedgehog had refused. He knew very well that both him and his best friend were likely to die of anything but old age, so he cherished every moment they were alive and together.

"Right. Your turn." Maria had moved one of her pieces, thereby opening the game. Shadow merely copied her move, his mind elsewhere.

"Say, where is actually the professor? I haven't really seen him for days, except when he comes to check up on me at night."

The girl shrugged, more interested in her own strategy. "Well, since GUN is pretty ticked that they can't work with you at the moment anymore, they've forced him to concentrate on the Artificial Chaos creatures again. I think they want to be able to use them as some sort of defensive system one day."

"What, those blue, freak blob things?" Shadow frowned, directing one of his knights forward, a bold move, but it was simply the way he played.

"Yup, that's them. I always feel a little bit sorry for them, they don't even seem to consider them actual living beings…" Maria said quietly, moving more of her peasants into a defensive line. She could still vividly recall their first encounter with one of the clear blue prototypes when she and a very young Shadow had been on one of their nightly discovery trips through the ARK. The Artificial Chaos creatures (called like that because they were supposed to resemble Chaos, the God of Destruction depicted on the echidna tablets) had been a side-line of her grandfather's research concerning Chaos Energy but until now he had mostly chosen to ignore them in favour of Shadow and his search for the cure.

"I wonder whether they're sapient," she said again, moving one of Shadow's pieces further forward as he had instructed her.

The black hedgehog shrugged, blowing another stream of bubbles. "I don't think so. Apart from me, neither the Lizard prototype nor the other hedgehog model UL 2/25 had any sign of being intelligent."

"And even your intelligence is not _quite_ high enough to protect your pieces," Maria grinned, finally moving her own bishop to claim the first blood in their game. "You shouldn't let your guard down that easily, you know?" she chided in good-natured mocking and Shadow merely shook his head, snorting. As if he ever would in real life.

Ooo

Sonic had drawn up his knees to his chin ever since Shadow had got to that particular bit of being suspended in a tube full of water and shuddered whenever it was mentioned again. Now he shook his head as if to clear the mental images out of it.

"_Yeech_. That is horrible. I think _I_ would have preferred to be sedated."

"It wasn't that bad, actually." Shadow replied in an even tone. "Maria not only helped me spend the time, she also took care of my education and helped me get ahead in my subjects."

Sonic's lips twitched slightly. "Oh really? Did she teach you about the birds and the bees, too?"

"How would _you _like to be suspended in a tube, Sonic?"

The blue hedgehog visibly bleached. "_Not_ funny, Shadow."

"Well, let me continue the story and I'll tell you about something that wasn't funny…"

Sonic didn't know why, but the black hedgehog's tone let another shiver run down his spine.

ooo

The ARK lay silently in the eternal night of space, the weak light of blinking electrodes nearly as faint as that of the distant stars. Shadow didn't have a clock, but it could have been three or maybe four in the morning, the time when absolutely nobody was about to disturb the silence or interrupt the never-ending droning of machines in the background and his life-support equipment.

Shadow's eyes snapped open as the almost hostile hissing of the sliding door reached his liquid-filled ears.

_What…? _

He screwed up his face as he tried to discern any shapes in the gloom. Had Maria snuck out to visit him at night despite Gerald's wishes? Had the Professor himself decided to give him an irregular check-up out of sleeplessness? But the silhouette didn't move like either his friend or his creator, instead he recognized the stiff, somewhat hunched movements of…

"_Vincent_?!" Shadow snarled.

X--X

"Why am I not surprised?" Sonic raised an eye ridge. "That guy shows up so often, I shouldn't wonder when he starts his appearances with a little 'To protect the world from devastation' –speech next."

"_Sonic_…" Shadow growled warningly, privately wishing he could just lock the damn blue hedgehog in a pokéball.

"I mean, this story has maybe five characters. Guessing really isn't that hard."

"I'm surprised that this comes from a gaming icon whose fanbase hates almost every new character to show up in a game."

"What?! That isn't-!" Sonic stammered, but was cut off.

"And about predictability: How much are you wishing to wager that your next adventure will be about collecting the seven Chaos Emeralds and oooh, I don't know, defeating Doctor Robotnik? Honestly, I'm the last interesting thing that has happened to this franchise…"

"…I hate you."

"Go tell it to your talking Master Sword."

X--X

The grey-haired son of the Commander smirked. "Me. Indeed."

"In case you're hoping that using the word 'indeed' makes you sound cooler, it doesn't," Shadow informed the human flatly, immediately letting the features of the teenager twist in annoyance, but Vincent had himself under control quickly again, touching a button to let the door close.

"Make smart remarks while you still can, feral."

"Use dialogue that has grown a beard while you still can't," the Ultimate Lifeform replied, ears twitching. He was slightly uneasy, because he was pretty sure the door had been locked, but then again, any distraction was welcome at this point.

Vincent bared his teeth, only sending Shadow into another fit of laughter since the kid now apparently had gotten braces. There was nothing embarrassing about the things as such, but yes, they were a bit of a hindrance when people tried to appear menacing.

"Stop laughing!" the boy shrieked. "I got you in there!"

Shadow sobered up a little and sent Vincent a glare of his own. "That's interesting. Maria claims it was an accident."

"Of course she does. It's the way she wants to think," Vincent shrugged, a small smirk tugging at the edge of his mouth. Shadow gave a sneer as well.

"Well, _actually_, it's because she reckons you to be too stupid to operate the arena control panel," he replied pleasantly, crossing his creepily skeletal arm with his healthy one and floating sideways slightly higher, pleased to see the boy on an early way to a death by stroke.

Vincent slammed his fist into the side of a console. "Well _that's _where she thinks _wrong,_" he snarled, at the same time putting down a rucksack he'd been wearing over his tight grey sweater and blue vest, opening the thing to take out a small object that Shadow couldn't recognize in the darkness and the light refraction caused by the green liquid. A USB-stick...?

"And what do you think are you doing here?" the hedgehog asked sharply, the slight worry creeping back into his mind again. He couldn't for the life of him figure what the boy hoped to achieve.

"The same thing I've been trying for quite a while now. To destroy you," Vincent said, all humour gone from his tone. Shadow narrowed his eyes.

"That's not that easy. And you do know there's security cameras in here everywhere, right?"

Vincent shrugged. "I've disabled them."

"Yeah, right. Duct-taped them over, perhaps?"

"_No_, I hacked into the system and turned them off!" the human teenager snapped, all of a sudden agitated again. "I've had it up to _here_ with all of you thinking I was some half-wit!"

"Well, as insulting as that may be to true half-wits, I don't think-"

"SHUT UP!" Vincent roared, then tried to calm himself down again. "I may not have read as many books as Maria or her cuckoo grandfather, but when it comes to computer systems I damn well know what I'm doing. Even if nobody of you idiots chooses to notice it," he scathed, coating those last words with bile. He plonked himself down on the chair in front of the control panel in the room and swivelled to face Shadow again.

"I knew exactly which button to push to blast you."

"And yet you still couldn't aim," Shadow dead-panned, covering up the slight nervousness he was feeling pretty well. He had considered Vincent to be a petty annoyance, but floating in here without his shoes or gloves, not even possessing a fully functioning body, he was aware that even a petty annoyance could get dangerous.

Vincent's features twisted. "Maybe. That was my first shot after all. But now I've come to correct that mistake."

"With dialogue still from a B-movie," Shadow couldn't help but point out dryly. Then again, he supposed it wasn't entirely a surprise. When people were in situations they weren't familiar with, it was no wonder they'd resort to copying what they'd seen on TV for lack of experience. Nevertheless, it didn't intimidate the black hedgehog who'd seen most of the James Bond movies three times over as a kid. He gave Vincent a cool stare. "As if you could really kill me. You've tried it a dozen times now, surely even _you'd_ realize it's pointless."

X--X

"Plus the fact that you're telling this as a _flashback_…."

"Hush, you."

X--X

The teenage human turned toward the console on his chair again, a business-like eagerness seeming to have replaced his earlier fury at Shadow's callous remarks. He did look more in control when seated at a computer keyboard, the Ultimate Lifeform couldn't help but observe. Not looking at him, the grey-haired son of the commander began waking the system from its stand-by slumber, but Shadow could hear his smile in the tone of his voice. His words, however, were entirely devoid of humour.

"I'm not saying that you didn't give me a lot of trouble, hedgehog," he said, his hands still flying over the various switches. "But that's okay. I do like a challenge. It made me hone my skills as a hacker up to the point where I can do _this_ – close the link of this terminal to the mainframe under the pretense of maintenance, remove all traces of my meddling here after I'm done and most importantly…manipulate your life-support equipment as I please." He turned around and gave Shadow a smirk that seemed in urgent assistance of a white cat to stroke on his lap.

The Ultimate Lifeform couldn't suppress a swallowing, even if he was damned if he would let Vincent see that. Unfortunately, his accelerated heart beat was only all too obvious on the monitors anyway.

"You wouldn't really do that. If I were to die, Maria wouldn't have a chance to be cured."

Something seemed to flicker in the boy's eyes for a moment, but that was gone as quickly as the system behind him announced itself ready for use.

"That won't be a problem. Modern medicine is able to keep your body breathing and working even if your brain's dead. Any last words?" he asked, simultaneously opening a window that showed the diagrams charting Shadow's oxygen supply.

"You're going to suffocate me." The Ultimate Lifeform stated, not asked. The whole situation suddenly seemed entirely surreal. Vincent nodded.

"Yeah. I hear they drown puppies on Earth."

"Funny. The only cur here I see is you."

"You won't have _time_ to regret these words," the boy snarled…and turned the air supply right down to zero.

Shadow's eyes widened as the teenager actually went through with his threat and immediately sucked in the last breath he was likely to get, holding it in with all his might. His unscathed, left arm rose and punched the glass of the cylinder in an instinctive reaction – no matter what his chances would be outside of the protecting nutrient nanite solution, they had to outnumber the ones he'd have if he did nothing. Of course, it didn't work. Shadow merely drove himself backwards through the liquid as his fist connected with the see-through wall, completely missing any ground contact to let his punch have any effect. He tried again, quickly bracing his feet against the opposite side of the cylinder, pulling his arm back once more and driving it through the thick green water with all his might. Vincent by now had stood up and sauntered toward the tank, watching the desperate struggles of the hedgehog with a certain amount of interest, not to say amusement.

Shadow's knuckles hit the transparent wall but it felt like punching concrete. A cold metal vice seemed to clamp around Shadow's heart as he realized that maybe, he wouldn't be able to escape this time.

"You don't think that after two months of nearly zero gravity your muscles would be in any way strong enough to shatter the reinforced glass of your tube, do you?" he asked, his smile growing wider each time the black fist connected with the glass futilely.

Shadow couldn't reply, his lungs having barely any oxygen left. He remembered how the power of Chaos had saved his life time and time again before – surely a Chaos Blast or Chaos Spear would be able to free him? He hadn't summoned so much as a spark since he had woken up suspended in the regenerating chamber, but it wouldn't let him down when he was this close to dying, would it…?

With his vision already growing worryingly dark edges, the Ultimate Lifeform called onto the stream of Chaos flowing within him, commanding it to collect in his hand, so he could hurl a lance of deadly lightning at the walls of his prison and the laughing human standing in front of it…and then he screamed as the process went deadly wrong. Chaos emerged at all the wrong points, crackling across the glistening rims of his shoulder wound with searing pain, miniature lightning dancing with fleet-footed agony on the points where wires and needles were stuck into his body, the power which had always obeyed him impossible to command when his body was this damaged and imbalanced…Shadow's face contorted in shock and muscle spasm as the hedgehog felt like he was being electrocuted alive, the unpredictable energy failing to do anything but let his last air bubbles escape through his wide open mouth with a ragged scream.

Shadow wanted instinctively to gasp, but then gagged as he couldn't. Vincent, who had taken a wide-eyed step backwards as soon as the spectacle inside the cylinder had started, now moved closer again as it seemed to have stopped and the hedgehog was starting to run out of air.

The human's lips curled as his bi-coloured eyes regained their dark glint.

"What the hell was that, hedgehog? A freak death for a freak experiment, I suppose…but ah, the air is getting somewhat thin, I take it?"

Shadow was unable to reply, his lungs instinctively trying to suck in oxygen where none was, letting his throat spasm and head snap backwards as the black-furred form convulsed.

"Now, let's see…if I studied this correctly, drowning is accompanied by loss of reason-"

Shadow ripped the mask from his face in the vain hope of maybe finding a spare bubble of air anywhere, but before he could think, his body betrayed him once again and sucked in the water, immediately clogging up his breathing ways –

"-followed by an absolutely intolerable headache as the brain begins dying because there's no oxygen for it to feed on…"

Shadow couldn't hear the voice over the rushing in his own ears anymore, red-hot pounding pain tearing into his consciousness as he felt like somebody was driving a sword through the top of his skull and hammering it ever deeper into his body –

"…then succeeded by failing of vision and possible hallucinations…"

Shadow could feel his spasms growing ever weaker as the darkness moved in from the edges of his field of sight, cold despair and faint disbelief enveloping him like the water that was killing him now, faint blotches of light floating in front of his wide-opened, unfocused eyes. He could barely wonder whether he would see Maria again when she eventually died without him, even if Gerald did not believe in an afterlife. The indistinct droning of Vincent's words outside seemed to mix with the memories in his mind and he thought he could briefly hear her for the last time.

_Maria…I'm sorry I…I couldn't be there for you… _

"…and finally, eventually, when the last twitching is over…death," Vincent ended his monologue, sounding like a wine connoisseur who had just swallowed the last drop of an invaluable _Chateau Lafite _and was now licking his lips as he savoured the aftertaste, while in front of him, limbs, features and eyes of the Ultimate Lifeform finally stopped moving.

The entire body floating serenely in the green liquid now, only a few small bubbles and the disconnected wires and tubes the hedgehog had ripped out of his body in his death throes were testament to the violent death that had just happened.

Vincent gave a small nod and turned around to power down the control station again, being careful not to leave any fingerprints and wipe his electronic traces as well. That would teach people to underestimate him again. It was a strange feeling, having made his first kill. Vincent supposed that this was like what a young hunter must feel when he had shot his first deer. Humming slightly to himself, the grey-haired son of the Commander left the research lab twenty minutes later quite happily, even the flat, monotonously beeping line of the heart monitor nothing but music to his ears.

It wasn't until morning that Maria found the body of her friend and started screaming.

_To be continued…

* * *

_

Right. So if this were 'How I Met Your Mother', Shadow would at this point tell Sonic that this wasn't really him yet, either, and the real Shadow would be awakened the next episode. But heh, we've solved one more mystery, namely why Shadow holds all his guns in his left hand! :D (If you want to accept my rather insane explanation, that is...:P)

All I can say is, tho, that this should have been up way earlier and I blame a sudden trip to Austria for the delay. I got punished though, because my insane Austrian friend dragged me skiiing and I fell nine times and drove into an ice wall once. I'm still in one piece, tho, so the fanfic continues...

Hope you liked it, and if you read, please review!^^


	41. Announcement

**Author's Announcement:**

Hey there. No new chapter today and I'm afraid there won't be for a while. Nothing much has happened, but I did notice ever more how life is starting to get on top of me. I know I thought that during semester break I would be able to catch up and write a lot of chapters with which I could keep you entertained when uni started up again, but this didn't work out. Australia was a lot of fun, but unfortunately, travel does take a lot out of you. I flew over 12 000 miles in just seven days. And now term is about to begin again and I have barely anything written, which means, yeah…

You were an awesome crowd. There were lots of you who reviewed time and time again and I thank you so much for all your encouragement, patience and enthusiasm that you shared with me. It was a great time and I hope that maybe, someday I'll be able to return to this site and can finish off my stories or embark on a new adventure. I have to apologize sincerely because I know I also said again and again that I would _never_ abandon my stories like a lot of my favourite authors did and now I'm doing the same, which makes me feel awful. But life has just gotten way too busy ever since I left High school…I wish I had an extra few hours everyday, but I haven't. I hope none of you are too bitter. Fanfictionnet is a great place so please, remember the good times you had with the stories instead of the open endings. In case any one of you wants to continue one of mine, feel free to apply and I can tell you where I was going with the plot, so you can continue it in your own way, they're free for adoption now. I'm referring specifically to 'Life could have been so different' and 'Burning Arrow, Wildfire Heart' here, which is why I placed this announcement in both of them. I'd be happy about any author who wants to take on the challenge…and last but not least...happy APRIL FOOLS DAY, everyone! If I was truly going to stop writing fanfic, I certainly wouldn't announce it on a day like this. :P

Cheers and see you all for the next chapter,

Taranea :P


	42. Drowned Alive

**Chapter 41: Drowned Alive**

„Heya, morning, Shadow!" Maria called out cheerfully as she entered the laboratory of her grandfather. It was Saturday morning and therefore, no lessons with Gerald had been scheduled, so Maria, like any other teenaged intellectual, was looking forward to a day filled with nothing but brain decay and mindless television. Well. Technically, she still needed to check up on the growth rates of her artificial Chaos Chrystal experiments in the afternoon and work on her thesis in the evening, but at least the morning could maybe be spent watching Mobius' Next Topmodel, if she could talk Shadow into it (_and_ get Gerald to let her use the billion dollar computer equipment in the room for internet satellite TV). Today was supposed to be a real thrilling episode, too – Maria personally wanted Comet, the deer girl, to win but she supposed Violet, the king cobra model could bite her before the finals, or maybe Kiara, the prissy lioness would make true on her threat to saw a piece off one of her hooves in her sleep so she wouldn't be able to walk anymore and get disqualified - in her mind, Maria only shook her head at all those people who would prefer to watch the incredibly more lame _human _version.

"Shadow? You up ye-?" she called out again as no answer came from the silent form in the liquid-filled cylinder, but her voice died as she suddenly noticed that several things were very, very wrong.

"What…?" Her head flew around to the first monitor as soon as she realized there had been a continued beeping sound filling the air and blue eyes widened with disbelieving shock as she beheld the flat line on the heart monitor.

"_Shadow?!"_Her shrill cry pierced the air as the blonde-haired girl next was already dashing over to the still body in the tube, black-spiked head hanging down onto his chest the way it usually had when Shadow had been sleeping. But now she could see all the wires that had been disconnected, could see the oxygen mask torn off and floating senselessly on its strap, could see no more bubbles escaping from his mouth at all…Maria gagged and broke down on her knees sobbing.

"NO!" Only for a moment, though. As soon as the first wail had escaped from her strangled throat, she was already trying to stand again, clawing her way upwards against the glass cylinder. "Shadow!" she screamed again, banging her open palms against the glass in a futile attempt to awaken him. "Shadow!"

This couldn't be happening. _How_ was this happening? Maybe it wasn't too late, maybe there was still something she could do-!

With a supreme effort of will Maria finally tore her gaze away from the form of her lifeless friend and stumbled over to the intercom, punching in the code that would give her direct access to Gerald.

"What-? Maria, it's Saturday, there's no need-" the old man sounded tired and cranky, probably just having been roused from his slumber after another all-nighter the Robotniks were so prone to pull.

"Grandpa, Shadow _died_! Come in here!"

"Wha-?!" the aged scientist at the other end of the line sputtered, but Maria didn't let him finish, merely closing the connection again and storming back to the console controlling Shadow's life support equipment. There had to be emergency back-up procedures and equipment, defibrillators, emergency drainage, _anything-! _

In a fit of impulsive thinking, Maria first opened up the oxygen controller, remembering the mask had seemed inactive. Her eyes scanned the regulators all turned down to zero without comprehending how this could have happened, and she cranked them right back up, but with little effect – the mask was sprouting bubbles now, but they all passed by the sunken head of the dead hedgehog, the silver pearls unable to reach his lungs at all.

"No," Maria mumbled again, her hand running through her wild blond hair now, aware that the worst decision would be to panic. Where on Earth was the switch to open the cylinder and let the liquid drain away so she could attempt CPR-?!

"Maria! What is going on?!" Gerald burst through the doors at this moment, a hastily flung-on morning gown testament to his granddaughter's theory about his working habits.

"Grandpa! He died! He suffocated! There's _no air_!" she screamed at him helplessly from the computer monitor and Gerald's eyes widened behind his glasses for only a second before he had already taken the situation in.

"Right," he muttered, lips drawing into a straight line. "We need to get him out of there if we want to stand any chance of-!" he mumbled, immediately striding to the dashboard and pushing her aside, his fingers working the computer terminal with a speed and accuracy belying his old age. Maria's head turned as she could hear a churning sound from the column, the green liquid beginning to sink ever so slowly…

_Grandpa, can't you drain it faster?! _She would have liked to shout at this point but of course knew that it would be nonsense, her grandfather was doing what he could already…

"How'd this happen?" Gerald snarled under his breath, grey moustache quivering. "I need to check the protocols to see if there's anything else we overlooked to know how to resuscitate him," he said, immediately calling up the logs of the last night, displaying all data collected of both machines and his creation they were trying to keep alive.

Gerald suddenly reached out and stopped the draining of the cylinder with the push of a button. Everything went silent.

"Grandpa? What's wrong? Why- why did you stop?" Maria asked, her gaze flickering in between the floating form of her friend and her grandfather, confused. The old man was suddenly leaning heavily on the terminal, staring at the buttons and keys in front of his face but not at her, unmoving.

"Look…look at the protocols, Maria," he said, breathing heavily. "They show that the oxygen flow was cut off at roughly 3 am. Shadow hasn't been breathing for more than seven hours. He's dead."

"Wha- NO! You've got to try!" Maria screamed, flinging herself at him. "He _can't_ be!"

"Please, Maria," Gerald hugged his little girl fiercely, his own eyes beginning to moisten now that she was openly crying. "There's no point. I've stopped the draining, so you can say good-bye…remember him like this," he said. He knew that once he'd drained the liquid and the hedgehog was lying as a wet, crumpled, partially burned and amputated, slime-covered heap on the floor, it would traumatize Maria to no end. The mental picture of his broken creature reminded Gerald sharply of the shards of the broken Chaos Emerald which Snively had destroyed in the ill-fated experiment that had led to the discovery of Chaos Blast and the death of six people…once again, something beautiful had been destroyed and it hurt too much to bear. "Remember him like this," he whispered into her ear as she cried into his shirt, desperately trying to keep his voice from trembling if for her sake, "Remember him like this, it looks like he's only sleeping, see..."

Maria screamed again.

And it was only the sudden, unexpected, almost too short to be heard _beep_ that cut her off as effectively as if it had been trumpets from above.

"What – what was that?!" her head flew up and she stared first at her grandfather, then at the monitor. And they both saw the unmistakeable red zig-zag pattern that indicated a beating heart move slowly down along the flat line. And then the monotone beeping began anew.

"Was that – that was a heart beat?!" Maria disentangled herself from her grandfather, positively throwing herself at the console. "Grandpa, _maybe he's alive_!"

_But that's impossible, _Gerald wanted to say, but bit down on his tongue. How often had they yet pushed the bounds of what others defined as reality…?

Quickly, he started the drain again, and called up the logs once more. And what had formerly escaped him was now in plain sight as he was specifically looking for it: Roughly every 33 minutes, the hedgehog's heart had beaten ever since it failed.

"Maria, get out the paddles," he dead-panned, hoping the medical equipment in this lab was still all in order. Honestly, instead of wasting his time on all these weapons, maybe he should focus on the healing arts instead…invent a capsule that you could just throw at somebody to make them all better, or something….

Gerald cut off his rambling thoughts with a frown as soon as his granddaughter had dragged out the apparatuses he needed and the drain had nearly completely finished. At the push of another button after entering a security code, the cylinder finally began to sink into the ground, the glass scraping against black fur where the body of the unconscious Ultimate Lifeform had crumpled against the boundaries of his transparent prison.

"I'm going to lay him out on the floor. Keep the defibrillator ready," Gerald instructed, lifting the limp body from its pedestal and instead transferring him to a plastic section of the floor, laying him on his back, skeletal, slime-covered arm and the three other limbs neatly arranged. Gerald at this point was glad that he had not only studied ethics, biology, mathematics, chemistry and (astro-) physics, but was also a doctor of medicine. Maria, similarly, had received a basic medical education from him, the mind of the scientist easily figuring that the more his genius prodigy understood about illnesses and the human body, the better she would be able to take care of herself. Now he was giving Shadow the basic massage any victim of near-drowning would receive, with the exception that most of them hadn't basically died seven hours ago.

After the third push, the hedgehog vomited a fountain of green liquid and Gerald nodded.

"Right. Give me the paddles."

"But – you haven't even attempted resuscitation yet!"

"Maria, if his heart isn't beating, we need to get that going first! Move away!"

"But his heart _is_ beating! Grandpa, Shadow doesn't _work_ like other people!" Maria cried…before bending right over the still form of her friend and pressing her mouth to his.

X---X

"A _human_ girl kissing a dead hedgehog? That is. SO. Gross." Sonic screwed up his muzzle in disgust. Shadow narrowed his eyes dangerously, re-grown claws of his right arm proving that they could still dig into armrests beautifully just the same.

"_Firstly_, it was mouth to mouth resuscitation, and _secondly_, may I remind you that _you_-"

"No." Sonic was as pale as the sky. "Don't _ever_ mention her."

X---X

Maria exhaled. Gerald's eyes were fixed on the slender chest of his hedgehog as it rose under the air pushed into it, which at least showed that it wasn't full of fluid anymore. His hands clenched around the paddles as nothing happened…

Maria exhaled again and then, as if by a miracle, crimson eyes flew open.

"Shadow!" Gerald cried as the black hedgehog threw his head back at once to gasp for air.

"You're _alive_!" Maria exclaimed, eyes shining with unbridled joy even if she was still refraining from hugging the living daylights out of her furry companion. Gerald put a hand on her shoulder to steady her from what could come next – because he knew, that even if by some marvel the hedgehog had escaped with his life, any brain without oxygen for so long was likely to take damage…and he didn't know how much of Shadow might have died still.

X---X

"Damn, Shadow, I'm sorry," Sonic muttered. "I've been so hard on you all the time and now it turns out you've basically been a complete psycho 'cause you couldn't help it."

Shadow glared. "…I hate you."

"But it explains _everything_!"

X---X

Gerald didn't know about the hedgehog's brain activity while he had been technically dead, because the electrodes measuring that had been disconnected as well. All he had seen were flat lines. But now, the gasping Sapient was starting to breathe more normally, and blood-red eyes were blinking in the glare of the neon lights, the black-furred head weakly moving to the side, trying to focus on something…

"I am…going to _kill_ that boy…"

"Shadow!" Maria finally couldn't resist any more and climbed over the hedgehog quickly, nuzzling the side of his face. "You're okay. You're okay! I almost _die_– well, so did you, I guess…" the girl admitted, immediately giggling in the sheer, drunken relief she felt to see her friend among the conscious and living again, the hedgehog blearily blinking up at her, his arms splayed out next to his head.

"Shadow, Shadow, what on Earth happened to you…?"

"Maria, we have to put him into the tank again," Gerald finally interrupted the heartwarming scene. "He's still not stable and can't survive with half of his arm missing. The liquid will be the safest environment for him right now. We need to suspend him again."

"After he just _drowned_?!"

"I'm sorry, Maria, but it's for the best. Shadow, are you ready to go back into the nanite chamber again?" Gerald asked, gazing at his creation and speaking a bit louder and slower than usual. He still was in no way convinced the black hedgehog had come away totally unscathed and as soon as Shadow was a bit more stabilized (and Maria not around anymore to lynch him for the stress this would put on her friend) the elderly scientist was planning on putting the Ultimate Lifeform through every single test imaginable to man to confirm or rule out any damage.

The black-furred Sapient tried to lift his head, attempting to focus on the face of the professor past the kneeling form of Maria. His head still hurt like hell and he had trouble computing anything that had been said. In fact, for the first few moments he hadn't even been sure where he was – and had only accepted the fact that he was still alive by reasoning nobody could hurt that much if he was in heaven, and for hell (which he'd figure much more likely if he believed in an afterlife at all – Gerald had taught them about various religious concepts, but none of the Robotniks actually believed in anything) the pain probably wasn't _enough_.

So he had survived…

Shadow sagged again against the floor, not having the energy to lift his head anymore. The thoughts in his head were growing more confuddled by the minute and he could feel the darkness creep up again, but this time it wasn't the cold, suffocating deadly night of the water trying to drown him, but it felt more like a warm, comforting fuzz…some of the words of the professor seemed to make it through, though.

"Back…in…the water?" Shadow rasped, his face showing obvious discomfort, before weakly convulsing in a cough, some remnants of the water making their way out of his lungs. "No…" he managed.

"Grandpa, he doesn't want it!"

"Maria, you of all people should know that in health matters one can't always get what they want. But hopefully at least up here we can make sure that they get what they _need._" He picked up the black hedgehog, who was now squirming slightly. "Shadow, I'm sorry, but you need to recover. I promise nothing will happen again."

"No, it's not safe, Vincent, he…" the Ultimate Lifeform in his arms mumbled, the Sapient now obviously having to fight to stay conscious. Gerald wasn't entirely sure what to do now – rocking the exhausted hedgehog and making shushing noises would have been appropriate if this had been any other victim of recent near-drowning, but one felt just _slightly_ odd trying to cuddle an upset weapon of mass destruction. (Even if, on second thought, that actually seemed like a _very_ wise thing to do.)

"Shh, Shadow. It will be okay. Me and grandpa will stay with you, alright? We won't go away," Maria said soothingly, gripping his gloveless, healthy hand. She swallowed and looked concerned, obviously not happy about what her grandfather was going to do, but her intellect comprehending that this was medically the wisest choice.

"No…" Shadow mumbled again, but then his head finally fell to the side and his eyes slid closed, the hedgehog sliding back into unconsciousness, but his chest continuing to rise and fall steadily, which calmed the two remaining Robotniks somewhat.

"Okay. Maria, help me get him hooked up again."

"Yes, grandfather."

It turned out it was a lot more difficult installing the Ultimate Lifeform in the tank when there were no lab assistants to help them with it, but eventually the two humans managed the fiddly task of getting all the tubes, needles and wires in place again and when Shadow was floating once more motionlessly inside the green liquid, it looked like nothing had ever happened at all. Except for Gerald now hunched over his instruments in feverish concentration, that was, and Maria staring hard at the silent form of her friend, her mind puzzling what his last words awake could possibly have meant…

OoO

"Okay, wait, _what_?" Sonic stared at Shadow blankly. "You were without air for seven _hours_ and you survived?!"

"You think that is improbable?" Shadow raised his eye ridges, steepling his fingers over his stomach as he leaned back and returned Sonic's gaze.

"I'm not talking about 'improbable', I'm talking about friggin _unfair_!" the blue hedgehog protested, just a little bit freaked out about the whole tale of a death by drowning. It was no secret the former hero of Mobius feared water more than nearly anything else and this was the second-worst scenario he could imagine. His spines had raised themselves at the mere mention. "I mean, what actually _can _kill you? This is getting seriously creepy, you know? Like some sort of, I dunno, zombie or something. What would this Vincent character have to do, get silver bullets?" he asked, half-joking now, but the face of the other remained non-amused, Sonic even imagining to see a sudden hardness in that crimson gaze and wondered whether he might have said anything that could have triggered any unhappy memories just now. Shadow was alright…wasn't he?

"Well, since you asked, there are a few things," the Ultimate Lifeform shrugged at this point, interrupting Sonic's train of thought. "Fire would work. High temperature would work. My body is made up of the same components as everybody else's, proteins decompose and my flesh burns as easily as yours. High electricity…maybe. Not entirely sure. Or cut off the head. Seems to work with most people, actually. You could also crush my body. Anything that destroys the majority of my vital organs would do the trick, I can't magically _regenerate_ limbs. Bullets I seem to survive fairly well, as I do most poisons. Of course, if you were to apply an explosive _charge_-"

"Shadow!"

"…what?"

"For Chaos' sake, did you have to be so…_descriptive_?" Sonic asked, looking more freaked out than ever. "I didn't need to hear half of that stuff!"

Shadow shrugged. "You asked for it. And besides, Sonic," he said, and now his gaze turned just the slightest shade darker, "Back when I was still younger, those were the things the scientists talked about when Professor Gerald wasn't there."

OoO

"So…have you figured out what happened, yet?" Maria asked Gerald a couple of hours later, sitting on the floor with her back against the cylinder her friend was suspended in. She hadn't left Shadow's side even for a second to the point where Gerald had been forced to have their lunch delivered to them since she wouldn't even go to the canteen. The old scientist was determined to draw the line at a port-a-potty, but so far, that point hadn't been reached. Gerald sighed, rubbing over his bald skull.

"Well, yes and no," he said. "I think I have a working theory for how Shadow could have survived the oxygen deprivation. But I don't have single clue yet as to how on Earth the air flow was ever made to stop in the first place."

"A power outage?" Maria suggested, even though she herself knew there should have been back-up generators in that case.

"Well…not on the equipment in this room. However, the security cameras _have_ been turned off during the time frame Shadow drowned…" Gerald replied hesitantly, knowing very well what that would imply.

"Sabotage." Maria whispered the word.

"At the moment I have no other explanation, yes…" the old man muttered. "There was no alarm warning me about the flatlining of the heart monitor because whoever did this also disconnected the terminal from the rest of the ARK. We would be dealing with a high-profile hacker here."

Maria bit her lip. Of course, this was a top-secret, highly sponsored martial research station of GUN. There were _bound_ to be interested enemy groups.

"I don't want Shadow left alone another minute," she declared. Gerald nodded.

"No. Of course not. We will have to work something out…"

"What will you do?"

"Honestly? I don't know yet," Gerald replied with a sigh. "If there is a saboteur aboard, then I have no idea who it is and how high the corruption might already have risen. I don't know who to tell about this. I don't know who to _trust_, Maria."

"Well…you can trust _me_," she suggested. The old man gave a tired smile.

"Yes, and I'm very glad for that. For the moment, why don't we watch over him in turns, how about that? I have to get into contact with Earth about this first, anyway. And for tonight, how about we both stay with Shadow, hmm?"

"That sounds great!" Maria's eyes lit up as always when more time with her favourite spiky companion was promised. "I could pretend it's a teenager sleepover!" she laughed at the silly notion with the sheer joy of somebody who knew that still being able to have such notions was priceless. Gerald managed a brittle smile.

"Yes. But only if you do get out for a few hours now and stretch your legs a little. A bit of exercise is necessary for your health, you know?"

"Yes, grandpa, I do," she replied and for a moment looked far older than she should, as do all children who have once held hands with Death. "Take good care of Shadow until I'm back, okay?"

"I will." Gerald inclined his head, mentally already going through all of the tests he'd have to put Shadow through to confirm his hypothesis about his survival. Better if Maria wasn't around for that….

xxx

"Hey, Maria! How's it going?" Vincent asked as means of greeting when he first set eyes on the lone figure in the canteen. The blond girl was holding a cup of tea, staring, quite literally, into space. He was feeling oh so good, though he would take care for it not to show on his face. No point when he was going for fake sympathy here…she'd be hurt, and lonely, and desperate and vulnerable, and turn to the first one to offer her some kind words…it would deepen their friendship and _then_ he could easily let it lead to –

"Oh, hey, Vincent. Do you maybe feel like a walk in the park? Just let me finish my tea."

_Wait, what?_

"…uh, sure!" the son of the Commander managed with only slight retardation. The cascade of tears he had expected to see on her angeline face was inexplicably missing and he thought the cookie crumbs at the corner of her mouth did hardly count as an indicator of soul-wrenching grief. _Or maybe she simply hasn't noticed it yet? _"Yeah, would love to," the grey-haired teen repeated to keep the conversation going. "Why, not hanging around with that hedgehog today?" he asked casually, his tone just in between the careful politeness and restrained disdain he usually employed when talking about that blasted mutant so as not to raise any suspicion.

Maria looked away. "Well, no…" she began, then for some reason raised her gaze to his face again and seemed to give him a strange once-over almost as if she was sizing him up or making up her mind about something. Then, she waved him just a little bit closer and when she spoke next, her tone had dropped to quiet whisper. "You must swear not to tell this to anyone, not even your father," she said and Vincent was quick to nod, knowing that her previous behaviour had to have been a mask, and now her grief was about to pour out of her tortured little heart… Maria swallowed. "Because…last night somebody tried to kill Shadow."

"What?!" Vincent hissed back, his practiced mask of compassion slipping on, one hand pressing onto his own chest, the other stealthily gripping Maria's shoulder as if to steady her in her moment of need. "Oh god, that must be so hard for you," he began, coating his words with concern as much as he dared, already wondering whether he could already go in for the hug he'd planned, when finally, her _actual_ words sunk in.

"…wait, what do you mean, _tried_?!"

xxx

"Nnngh…" Shadow moaned into his breathing mask several hours later, finally awaking from his second and much healthier slumber. Red eyes blinked groggily for a few times until the hedgehog was able to focus on the familiar form of his creator Professor Gerald Robotnik working outside his tank again. Inside his head he felt as if a sort of steamroller had waltzed through his brain and now the city council was taking votes on whether to rebuild the ruins it had left behind or just level the whole thing and build a shopping centre instead.

"Professor…?" Shadow groaned and reached out with his one good arm to knock against the glass wall to attract the human's attention. Almost with detached interest he noted that there were faint scorch marks on the red stripe on his arm and probably more where they were hidden in the black fur. What...?

The old scientist turned around.

"Shadow! I have been hoping you'd wake up soon!" he replied, a rare smile gracing his features. The hedgehog tried to smile back, found it was painful, and went for an acknowledging grunt instead. Then he frowned. His memories were nudging him that there was something important he should tell the professor now, but he couldn't quite recall what…

X---X

"Figures. If you could _ever_ escape a near death experience _without_ your memory playing silly buggers, the world would probably end."

"Funny that you should mention 'near death experience' at this point, Sonic…."

X---X

"How do you feel?" Gerald asked, shining a light in Shadow's eyes at which the hedgehog instinctively growled. Knowing that this was usually the reaction that indicated a very healthy Shadow, Gerald pocketed the torch again in content.

"Fine, given the circumstances," the hedgehog replied after the irritation was gone, turning his head a little as if to see if it worked. "What…what happened? I…" he hesitated. "I _died,_ didn't I?"

Gerald ran his tongue across his lips. "Well, yes and no," he began. "You were without oxygen for seven hours. You suffocated."

"Ah." Shadow's reply wasn't the wittiest, but it was certainly more than you'd expect from anyone else confronted with the previous statement. Next, the black hedgehog's face twisted into one of apprehension, though.

"…professor, you didn't transfer my consciousness into another body of my clones, did you?"

Gerald raised an eye brow.

"I'm putting that one down to the oxygen deprivation. That, or you and Maria were watching the sci-fi channel again."

"Not my fault she fawns over this Tennant person so much," he defended himself automatically, spines bristling, before the ridiculousness of the situation finally became apparent to him and he stopped. "…this isn't what we were talking about, is it?" he asked, wishing his head would stop feeling as if somebody had played Calvinball in there and hadn't bothered to clean up afterwards.

Gerald shook his head, his grey moustache swaying slightly.

"No. But at least it confirms to me that your brain apparently has suffered no immediate damage from your ordeal."

Shadow's eyes narrowed at the recurring mention of his drowning. Details were beginning to filter through the dark waters of his mind again…the thrashing in the rising blackness…a hissing voice, and the despair and the _cold_…

"I really drowned," Shadow said, his voice dry as if he had to repeat the sentence himself to truly believe it. "Why am I still alive, professor?"

"Well," the old scientist gestured, "actually, it should hardly surprise me. You've already told me that you're able to go without food or sleep for months, a time span that would kill any Sapient but you. However, we have established that your body is able to survive by keeping its metabolism running through the collection of the surrounding Chaos Energy. You don't need nutrition or rest, Shadow. You don't even need air."

The black hedgehog frowned. "Are you trying to tell me that if I stopped breathing right _now_ I would be okay?"

"For a given value of 'okay', at any rate." The scientist shrugged. "Food, sleep, oxygen…all these elements are just ingredients to supply our cells with energy. We gain carbohydrates and fat molecules from the food we digest. These are 'burnt' with the oxygen in the cells to keep them alive and our body working. It only makes sense that if you can gain energy directly from somewhere else, you wouldn't need either."

"But I still drowned," Shadow pointed out, unable to forget the darkness claiming him. But what had happened just before…?

"Well, yes. The fact that we need to sleep only once per day, but eat several times and breathe several _thousand_ times indicate the importance each of these elements possess relative to our metabolism," Gerald lectured, "You may survive without food or sleep and live normally for a few months, Shadow, but when you can't _breathe_, your system just shuts down. I had a look at your heartbeat and brainwave activity, for all they indicate you were comatose or in hibernation. It might not kill you to be suffocated for a while, but even as the Ultimate Lifeform you can't _function_ without it," he explained, but the hedgehog had stopped listening at the beginning of the last sentence. Because one specific word had triggered the rest of his memories.

"Kill," he whispered.

"What?" Gerald frowned.

"Kill," Shadow repeated, tonelessly. "Vincent. He was the one who tried to kill me."

And it was at this point that the door opened and the son of the General stepped through with Maria in tow.

_To be continued…_

* * *

Heyyy, everybody still there and no one sulking and/or plotting revenge? XD Hope you liked the new chapter, at any rate - I haven't taken the AFD-chappie (which, truthfully, I had completely forgotten about until now^^;) down yet because if I had just replaced the chappie, none of you would have gotten an update alert - but I'll figure something out. Meanwhile, hope all of you are enjoying the fantastic spring weather and if you read, please review! :D


	43. A Day After Death

**Chapter 42: A Day After Death**

"You," Shadow breathed softly. "You _dare_ show your face here again?" His fingertips pressed against the glass cylinder, only a very observant watcher able to see how much pressure he actually exerted and how the glass creaked under his claw-like hand ever so subtly.

Vincent had stopped in the door for a second, staring, but only a second, before he had himself under control again. But the mismatched eyes had said it all.

_How are you still alive? _They had asked incredulously upon meeting the blazing crimson gaze burning through the greenish waters like an inextinguishable scorching flame.

Gerald's head whipped around as the reconnected consoles suddenly began a vigorous beeping, showing that Shadow's heart rate, blood pressure and adrenaline were about to shoot through the roof.

_Scratch roof. Think bloody stratosphere, _shot through the old scientist's mind as his brain rapidly tried to compute the events of the last moments. Shadow claiming it was Commander Graves' boy, Vincent, who had killed him. The same boy now standing in his laboratory, but looking absolutely astonished and terrified. And the Ultimate Lifeform, the glare in his eyes so murderous Gerald wouldn't have been surprised if the water in the tank had started to boil.

"I, er, I think I better get going, Maria, maybe I shouldn't have come-" Vincent stammered quickly, not really talking to the girl, but still staring at the floating form inside the recuperation tank, teeth bared behind the mask and skeleton hand drawing into a Death-like claw with the few sinews already attached.

"Don't even _think _you can escape me," Shadow hissed in an air stream of bubbles, letting the boy freeze on the spot. "Don't you even _think _you'll ever be safe again."

Maria turned a confused look on the grey-haired teen and Shadow raised his voice again, this time addressing her and her grandfather instead. "Maria, Professor. He is the one who came in here last night and turned off the air. Tell GUN and lock him up, he's insane even for their standards."

_"What?_" Maria's head snapped around to stare at Vincent flabbergasted, even her grandfather for a moment stunned by this revelation. The son of the Commander raised his hands in defence.

"What the hell? I didn't do anything!"

"You came in here! Ranting about how I'd die even while you were killing me! DON'T play the innocent card now if you value your life!" Shadow roared, the swirling waters in his tank letting his fur move on its ends and a glowing aura of Chaos Energy drawn in by his fury giving him briefly the appearance of a hovering avenging angel. Lights actually _flickered_ in the room by now, and all three humans took a step backwards out of pure instinct, deep down their ancient cavemen ancestors knowing that this was how the god of lightning splitting the clouds in a thunderstorm would have looked like...

"SHADOW!" Maria screamed and immediately the crackling of Chaos Energy subsided a bit, the Ultimate Lifeform as always turning back into a civil hedgehog as soon as his life-long friend called him to reason. "What is this all about? How could _Vincent _have tried to kill you?"

"Well, it is certainly beyond me to imagine how this feral monkey in a uniform ever managed to learn how to work a computer, but apparently by now he does it quite well," Shadow replied dryly, not taking his eyes off the now fuming human. "So well, in fact, that he managed to override the controls, shut down the cameras and finally turn off my life-support. He's apparently quite the hacker, even if he isn't much good at anything else."

"Excuse me? That is bullsh- _ridiculous_! What else did I do, cause global warming?" the teen shot back, seemingly only catching himself because he deemed certain words inappropriate in front of a female. His choice of vocabulary didn't seem to influence the diamond-hard stare of Maria's blue eyes by one iota, in any case.

Gerald licked over his lips. He hadn't been able to find any trace in the network of the attack at all. Whoever had been behind this was a master at his trade. It was no secret the son of the GUN commander loathed Shadow with a passion (and the sentiment was returned likewise…) but could this fifteen-year-old really have…?

"Professor. If you believe me, then you will notify Graves now. I'm sure that not even a father would protect a complete psychopath like this."

Gerald's lines on his face deepened. What was he supposed to do now? He looked from the dead serious hedgehog in the tank to the seething, but also indignant teenage boy who both were now locked in a staring match. Maria's expression seemed just as confused and clueless as Gerald felt inside. Finally, the scientist cleared his throat.

"Investigations concerning the attack on the network are still being carried out, but at the moment the evidence is not yet suggesting any culprit in particular," he said, smoothly glossing over the fact that there was, actually, very little evidence of anything at all. "Shadow, are you sure you-?"

"I am _not_ making this up!" the black hedgehog scathed immediately as soon as he recognized into which direction this conversation was heading. "Professor, you know me better than that. I don't hallucinate. Yesterday night it was Vincent trying to kill me and nobody else."

"Right. I don't have to listen to this crazed experiment of yours. Maria, I'm sorry but I'm leaving. And I'll be telling my father that he's now dealing with an insane project," Vincent declared and made to turn around, the exclamation of fury from Shadow's side at his words music to his ears.

"Vincent, no!" Maria cried, grabbing the other teen's wrist before he could leave the laboratory. "Don't do that. I'm sure we can…I don't know, talk about this or something."

"_Talk_ about this? Maria, this is a _murderer_," Shadow pointed out incredulously. Vincent shot him an ice-cold glare.

"I don't think you or your creator have any right to accuse _others_ of murder, feral," the Commander's son replied acidly. Before Shadow could open his mouth to retort, though, Maria had already interrupted him.

"Stop this, both of you!" She turned to the hedgehog in the tank, still not letting go of Vincent's wrist. "Shadow, you can't accuse others without evidence, that is not how justice works," she said, then looked at the Commander's son with equal seriousness. "And Vincent, claiming that Shadow has lost his mind in front of your father is just as wrong. He nearly died, is upset, and yes, it might have been sabotage. And besides…you wouldn't want them to shut down the project and make me lose my chance at a normal life forever, would you?" she asked, her large blue eyes a sharp contrast to the narrowed, mismatched ones of the other teen.

Finally Vincent dropped his gaze.

"No, Maria, of course not. If you don't want me to, I'll keep quiet about this, so long as he doesn't make any more trouble," he said and Gerald inwardly breathed a sigh of relief. This was a dangerous situation. The relations between him and Graves were already strained and recently, there had been even more demands from the opposition to terminate the research up here…

The scientist himself actually would have liked to believe Shadow, if the whole scenario had not seemed so incredible. But then again, with daily reports about High School amok runs and kids shooting other kids it would not be entirely inconceivable that even a mind as young as Vincent's might already decide to resort to murder…but unfortunately, Maria was still right. Without proof, allegations would yield nothing besides trouble and he had a sinking feeling that no court up here or down on the planet would accept Shadow's testimony. Gerald wasn't sure whether Vincent would be able to bring Graves to 'terminate' project Shadow, but it was a risk he wasn't willing to take, not with his research this close to a break-though. Right now the old man was just glad that his niece seemed to display the talent for negotiations and empathy that the entire rest of his sodding family so sorely lacked and she might very well have been saving Shadow's life right now. They'd have to wait and see whether he could find anything, a single trace in the logs and files to verify Shadow's words before they could make another move…

"Right. Thank you, Vincent," Maria said quietly, pretending to ignore Shadow gnashing his teeth at her civility toward his enemy. She gave the floating hedgehog a glance. "Maybe it would be better if I talked to him now for a bit," she continued, adding: "You'd understand that, wouldn't you?" to Vincent and the boy reluctantly nodded, still unwilling to be in disagreement over anything with his beloved.

"Yeah. Sure. I…I guess I'll see you later then, won't I?" the teen replied, not without shooting a baleful glance of his own at Shadow. "I…wouldn't like you to spend that much time with him if he's starting to become unstable. I would worry about you."

Maria's smile stayed frozen in place, but it seemed to have lost all warmth of a sudden, the effect akin to an angel that had just turned to stone.

"That you're concerned about me is very nice of you, Vincent, but I can assure you that I am still perfectly able to take care of myself. Thank you."

The sudden rise in formality did not go unnoticed by the GUN Commander's son and he swallowed quickly.

"Err, yes, no, I mean of course you're able to do that," he stammered, before regaining his composure. "I'll, uh, be going now, then…" he made to turn toward the door for a second time, but again he was stopped.

"Hey! Human monkey!"

"What?" Vincent snapped, immediately falling into his aggressive manner of earlier. Shadow in his tank smiled, but all this meant was that he was showing his teeth.

"I'm not going to stay in here forever, you know? You told me how it would feel when one drowns…" Shadow said languidly, crossing his creepily mismatched arms in front of his chest.

"Now would you like me to tell you whether you were right," he grinned, his eyes acquiring a dark glint now, "…_or_ would you like to find out yourself?"

OoO

"Wow," Sonic interrupted at this point. "Somebody actually tried to _kill_ you and there wasn't a single thing people could do about it?"

Shadow shrugged. "Told you. I didn't have any papers – apart from my ownership documents belonging to GUN, at any rate," Shadow added dryly. More normal, he added, "I wasn't a legal person. As far as courts were concerned, I wasn't able to sue, only to be sued _about_. And since I was the only witness…"

"Damn," muttered Sonic. "That would have driven me crazy…" He wasn't looking at Shadow while he said this, but instead at the rickety table standing next to the couch he'd curled up on, where he had absent-mindedly been brushing some of the dirt and litter that had piled up there during months of neglect into his palm and been discarding it into the bin.

"I had ways to deal with it," Shadow replied casually, not sure whether he should be the tiniest bit insulted that somebody was cleaning house while he was talking about his near murder, or whether to encourage Sonic's tentative attempts to piece his life back together.

But then again, the night had been a strange one anyway so far…

OoO

"Really, Shadow. That last bit would _not_ have been necessary," Maria admonished as soon as the three were alone again, the Ultimate Lifeform in the tank just turning his head away and pointy nose up.

"He did try to kill me, Maria," he replied. "I'd suppose it's only fair if he has to sleep with the lights on from now on."

"Yes, but we're trying to _avoid _confrontation."

"Maria, do you believe me?"

There was silence after the question and even Gerald turned around. Ever since Vincent had left, the old scientist had occupied himself with the consoles again, checking and re-checking logs, files and cache data to see whether he could find anything that indicated where the security breach had come from while Maria had been talking to Shadow. Now though, the hedgehog and girl were just staring at each other, crimson eyes burning as intensely as azure. Maria had told Shadow again and again that he was her best friend, brother even. And this was what true family ties were about…

Finally, Maria sighed.

"If I did, what would you want me to do?"

"That's not an answer to my question, Maria. Do you believe me that Vincent tried to kill me? Think of what he did to me." Shadow's skeleton arm connected with the glass of his tank just in time to underline his soft words with a ghostly clicking of the bones. "Do you believe me, Maria?"

The blond girl bit her lip. Vincent had been there when Shadow's arm had been vaporized. He had helped Snively when the big-nosed scientist had been trying to create a lifeform capable of killing Shadow in a fight. But still…

Her gaze locked with Shadow's again.

"Yes. I believe you. Now what do you want me to do?"

Shadow gave an actual smile for the first time since he'd come back to life.

"Nothing, Maria. Just that."

xxx

A coffee cup smashed against the wall, ugly brown stains immediately dirtying the surroundings as splinters rained down. A cry tore through the room as a pencil case and alarm clock promptly followed, both being smashed open and their contents scattering across the floor. Next, a foot connected with a bed side table, the furniture crashing against the writing desk, connecting with a computer that people who had known of its price would have treated a lot more carefully.

"THAT PEST!"

Not so Vincent, though, as he once again ripped the keyboard from the desk, cable tearing out of the backside of the PC, and hit it against the edge of the metal table so hard, its keys fell out like the white teeth of a curb stomp-battle victim. The letters clattered to the floor, forming meaningful sentences no longer as the rage continued. The last time Vincent had lost control like this, he had been only twelve years old, but now at fifteen the destructive force his matured body could wield was far greater…and the cause much, much more severe.

"WHY! WON'T! IT! _WORK_!" he screamed again, stopping short of hurling his expensive speaker boxes against the door, but still ripping his defenceless mouse from the desk and brutally breaking it by banging it against the wall as if it was Shadow's own head.

"WHY IS SHE STILL PREFERRING _HIM_?" Vincent roared, face drawn into a boiling grimace of rage, picking up his dumbbells and beating them against the door with shoulder-wrenching force, each hit accompanied by ear-deafening clanging and an even more impressive dent in the metal. He continued like this for over ten minutes, his upper body straining and screaming and sweating, but that was okay, because at least sweat would hide the tears…

Finally, the son of the Commander collapsed against the abused door face first, his hands barely catching him as the dumbbells fell to floor and the teen with the mismatched eyes was breathing heavily, pressing his hot forehead against the twisted metal. His shirt was completely drenched now and if anybody saw him in this ruined room in this disheveled state, they'd probably get the shock of their lives.

Not that anybody would care to look, of course.

Trembling hands curled into fists as the grey-haired teenager squeezed his eyes tightly shut to prevent more tears from escaping. Nobody would have even heard the giant racket he'd made during his rampage, least of all his father. None of them up here took him seriously, even though he tried so hard…

"Why won't she love me?" he asked the empty room quietly. He had hoped so much that if he damaged her perfect Shadow she'd finally notice him, had hoped that if he destroyed him she'd start to see how Vincent only wanted to be there for her, hang around with her, love her and be loved in return...

But no.

It was _always_ him.

Whatever damage Vincent had caused the feral beast, no matter whether psychological or physical, her stupid grandfather had it repaired. Even his perfect plan for his execution had failed.

"What am I doing _wrong_?" the son of the Commander hissed, turning around and letting himself slide down against the dented door with his back until he was sitting. Sighing in annoyance, he slid his soaked shirt over his head, his gaze briefly catching his own mis-matched eyes in the mirror. His expression turned even more miserable.

He knew he didn't look bad. His muscles were trained and well-defined, a flat stomach with the first outlines of an impressive sixpack underneath, currently glistening slightly from the exertion. He was lean, tall and broad-shouldered with a clean hair-cut and an angular face that might become as charismatic as his father's one day and he had white teeth and a nice smile, when he wanted to. He was also about to graduate from High School next year, his family was well-to-do and powerful, and with his IT-skills he'd be able to support a family and buy his girl whatever she wanted, and she wouldn't even have to work, just raise his children and be his wife and be happy… Every stupid girl on Earth would want to be his girlfriend, so _why wouldn't Maria? _

"Because she likes to hang around with furry freaks instead, that's why," Vincent muttered resentfully, his grey eye brows furrowing. It almost reminded him of the princess in that horrid video game he'd played a couple of weeks ago but he quickly dismissed that thought from his mind. No need to have to get the Brain Bleach, here.

Another weak kick against his bed followed as he immediately resented the idea of comparing Maria to something so vile. Not like he could wreak any further havoc on the rest of his room, anyway…that was, apart from his computer, of course. Vincent had a couple of very important files on there which he would kill himself for if he damaged them or the hard drive they were on. And now it seemed like they would be his last chance…

Shadow was dangerous. He'd always known.

"I won't let him hurt her." He grit his teeth.

With those files it was basically in his power to shut down the project …

But that would also kill Maria, wouldn't it? If they annihilated any trace of Shadow, there would be nothing left of him from which to derive the cure for NIDS… but _maybe_ she'd finally love him?

Especially if she didn't know it had been _him_ who had discovered the truth about her grandfather's experiment.

"Yes," Vincent breathed. "That might actually work."

If he managed to get his father to shut the project down…even if it meant that Maria had to die…

…maybe she would love him before she died. When Shadow was no longer there. Love him as she lay dying in his arms…

Vincent smiled.

Then again, maybe it wouldn't have to come to that. Maybe he could wait until her grandfather had cured her and _then _get them to shut down Shadow. If nothing happened that would cause him to have to hurry things along, of course…

"But don't worry, Maria," he smiled. "I won't let things get too far out of hand. I promise…"

OoO

Sonic stared. And had been doing that for the past ten minutes.

"Are you all right?" Shadow finally asked, cocking his head to the side. Sonic blinked, briefly shaking his head as if chasing away some sort of paralysis.

"Ah…gods, no! Shadow, this guy is a complete psychopath!"

The black hedgehog gave Sonic briefly a 'You're telling _me_?'-stare, but then shrugged. "Yes. What of it? People like that weren't exactly a rarity on ARK."

"I guess that explains the catastrophe, then…" Sonic nodded, slightly perturbed, but then Shadow was already continuing, as if not wishing to talk about that subject before the story's flow would bring them to that point, like a river crashing into an abyss.

OoO

"So…what do we do now?" Shadow asked, inhaling deeply to let himself float slightly higher in his tank so he could see both humans still in the lab without a problem. "I mean…that can't be it, can it?"

Gerald's brow twisted. "I'm afraid it might have to be it for the time being, Shadow. I don't have any proof at the moment and we don't have a lot of friends," the old man said, sucking the air apologetically through his teeth.

"Brilliant. This sod tries to kill me and he gets away unscathed," Shadow growled, healthy hand curling into a fist. Despite an attempt to murder him, one had to say the hedgehog didn't look as freaked out as one might expect – Gerald supposed there was something about getting shot at daily that toughened you up in that respect. The Ultimate Lifeform shot a glance at Maria. "At least promise me that you won't go see him again," he said. The girl cocked her head.

"Actually, I don't think I will promise you that one, Shadow."

"What?" the black hedgehog asked, ruby eyes immediately flaring up again. "I thought you believed me! You're going to hang out with a murderer?"

"Well, I do believe you, but Vincent doesn't need to know that." Maria winked at him, for a moment the mischievous Robotnik twinkle back in her eye. "If he plans on trying anything again, this way it will be a lot easier to keep tabs on him…keep your friends close and your enemies closer, no?"

"Hmm…" Shadow grumbled, but he couldn't really argue with that logic. (And besides, the _Godfather_ movie that quote came from was just too _cool._) "Professor, did that drowning thing throw me off track in my healing schedule?" the black hedgehog asked instead, wishing the topic of Vincent closed for the moment. Fortunately, Maria's grandfather shook his head.

"No, not particularly. The nanites suffered a slight shock, but nothing we can't repair. You've been in this tank for two months now and your bones and part of your tendons have already regrown. I would think another ten weeks should take care of the rest."

"_Another_ ten weeks?" Shadow gave a very uncharacteristic groan. "Professor, I'm bored to tears in here…"

"Will it cheer you up to know that as soon as the nanites start re-building your nerves you will _long_ for that monotone boredom you enjoy at the moment?"

"Not particularly, professor, no," Shadow replied icily enough to let the liquid in his tank almost crystallize. Maria bit her lip at the grim prospects of the future, but her concerns were elsewhere.

"Two more months, grandpa? In that case, you've got to promise me I can stay here with him. There should be somebody on guard at all times."

Gerald sniffed. "Fine. We can work something out. But don't you overtax yourself or get in over your head, you hear me?" the old man replied, his last sentence almost cut off by Maria flinging herself at him for a tight hug.

"Thank you, grandpa! I won't disappoint you," she assured him, before turning back to Shadow again, her open palms pressed against the glass between them.

"Don't worry, Shadow. I'm sure we can make it through this."

The hedgehog floated down to her eye level. "I know." He smiled. "And after all, hey, you must've been in more life-or-death situations than me, right…?" he asked, referring to her state of being with the curious mixture of sorrow and fear, but most of all love and pride that always mingled in his gaze when he regarded the girl who was his sister in everything but blood.

"We're both fighting for survival up here. But we're _good_ at it."

Maria grinned. "You betcha."

Palms only separated by millimeters were briefly joined by two foreheads almost touching each other. Submerged black and red-striped fur could not have been crasser in contrast to the light blonde hair with its navy band and ivory skin beneath, but Gerald could see without a doubt that his two greatest treasures in life could easily draw strength from each other so much that probably not even an army would be able to stop them…

_To be continued…_

* * *

Hiii there! Well, this should have been up...something like three weeks ago? XD But anyway, hope you enjoy it now and look forward to the next installment! If you're looking for anything else to read meanwhile, I can of course shamelessly plug the latest story on my profile, _Advent of Equinox_, co-written with the brilliant Skyblaze. :) If you like Sonic, Shadow, adventure, action, comedy and insane theories derived from the backstories of certain SEGA games (or simply feel like you'll probably have grandkids by the time I post the next chapter of 'Life...') feel free to check it out, you won't regret it! ;)

Lastly, I think we've actually got our first piece of FANART for this story, but sadly, I can't find the message where someone sent me the link to it anymore...I do apologize to the artist, want to tell me again? ^^° Of course, everyone is welcome to draw their own, here. XD Last but not least, thanks for all the great comments so far, and if you read, please review? :)


	44. Lessons of Life

**Chapter 43: Lessons of Life**

Shadow screamed.

"Shadow, what's wrong?" Maria had been immediately startled awake, nearly falling out of her camping cot Professor Gerald had finally permitted to be set up inside his laboratory. Nearly a month had passed since the last incident and no further attempts on Shadow's life had been made, but that didn't mean that the two Robotniks had let their guard down. Now Maria was scrambling for the tank in instant worry, trying to discern what had happened to her previously peacefully sleeping friend.

"Ma-maria?" Shadow stammered, blearily blinking at her, his good hand coming up to steady himself against the glass as he apparently attempted to regain his focus.

"Yes, Shadow, it's me, what happened?" the girl panted, pressing both of her palms against the glass. The hedgehog inside frowned.

"You're not a giant starfish, then?"

"…what?" Maria blinked. Shadow sank back in the fluid in relief.

"Oh thank Chaos," he muttered, putting a hand over his eyes.

"What on Earth…?" Maria put her hands on her slender hips, regarding her friend with disbelief. "Shadow, are you quite alright?" The hedgehog looked at her.

"I…had a nightmare," he finally admitted. "Sorry for waking you up."

"A nightmare?" Maria actually cracked a small smile. "But surely nothing could have been terrifying enough to scare the Ultimate Lifeform, I thought?" she asked, relieved now that the black hedgehog wasn't in any immediate danger. Shadow shuddered.

"You have no idea," the hedgehog grimaced. "I was here…aboard the ARK. I had been restored to full health, but the space station was falling apart."

"Oh dear," Maria muttered. "And you were dreaming of suffocating again?"

"No," Shadow shook his head. "I could actually breathe in space, it wasn't that bad."

"Okay…not exactly the most scientifically accurate dream, but carry on," Maria smiled, leaning against the tank now and glancing up at her friend, loving how his companionship could make even this surreal situation feel just like a sleepover with your best friend. Shadow was still rather serious, though.

"There was…everybody _talking _all the time," the black hedgehog screwed up his face, "I wanted to rip out my ears, there was this flying starfish, like I said, and it wouldn't _shut up, _and I was supposed to find 'secret discs' of some sort, and _giant insects_ kept bothering me, and _they_ would talk, too, and then there was that ninja in cyberspace-"

"Oooookay. Shadow, sweetie, I promise everything will be alright if you go back to sleep now, okay?" Maria asked sweetly, privately thinking at this point that she'd personally cut her grandfather's moustache off if he ever again messed Shadow's medication up like he obviously had today. "It was just a dream," she assured him again, the worried eyes of her friend still far from calm. Shadow shook his head.

"But that was only the first one," he protested.

"What, another dream?" Maria asked, by now wondering whether this was maybe a moon phase thing of some sort. Shadow nodded.

"Yeah. It was, again, here aboard the ARK. I was really angry for some reason and then…I killed someone."

Maria grimaced, of course not liking this development. "You killed someone? Oh Shadow, it wasn't Vincent, was it?"

"No…" the black hedgehog trailed off. "I didn't know him. But he also kept talking at me and whining about something or other. I killed him with a Chaos Spear in the end." He frowned. "Looked a _lot_ like that Sora from Kingdom Hearts, actually. Not Vincent, but..." the Ultimate Lifeform paused. "I have a feeling this Chris character I killed was actually _worse_."

X-X

"And what are you doing now?" Shadow asked, raising an eye ridge. Sonic turned from the flip chart he had been facing, permanent marker still in his hand.

"Oh, you know, just a bit of score-keeping. So far, she's killed off both Tails and Chris four times each."

"Hmm." The black hedgehog pursed his lips. Then:

"Five bucks says the next one to snuff it will be the fox again."

Sonic grimaced. "Yeah. You know, ten bucks also says you're as psychotic as our author…"

X-X

On a related note, Shadow wanted to tear out his arm.

Which probably wouldn't have been the wisest decision, considering it had barely yet fully regrown, and all.

But still…

The Ultimate Lifeform ground his teeth and grunted, trying to ignore the constant jabs of pain from his damaged limb now that the nanites had started rebuilding actual muscle and flesh – and nerves. The appendage now looked like the artist responsible for the Body Worlds exhibition had taken a sudden fancy to Sapient hedgehogs; Shadow could look inside his own muscles, see disconnected veins waft gently in the liquid swirls, and watch in fascination as sinews lay bare on dark flesh.

Well.

Actually, the first time he'd looked, he'd thrown up inside his own mask, but by now he'd mostly gotten used to it.

If only it wasn't for the _pain_…

"Rrrrgh!" Shadow clawed at the inside of his glass container in helpless frustration with his good hand, not for the first time swearing he'd rip _both _of Vincent's arms out when he got out of here, then let Professor Gerald heal him, and then rip them out again. And then his legs. And then his head, if only to _really_ teach him a lesson.

"Morning, Shadow! Fantasizing about carnage again, are we?" Maria asked cheerfully as she entered, the blonde girl able to read her best friend's moods only all-too-well, and right now the blazing eyes spoke once again volumes. "Remember, when the little bubbles start coming out of your ears, it's time to stop."

"Come inside the tank here and make fun of me again, will you?" Shadow asked pleasantly, making Maria laugh at the thinly-veiled mock threat. Inside, of course, he was more than grateful for the distraction the girl he loved so much provided, her visits the only current highlight in his life. He let his forehead sink against the glass of his prison.

"So, what's up today?"

"Well, not much," Maria replied, but at the same time wresting a rather large bag from her shoulder. Shadow regarded the thing curiously, wondering what was inside – and then his heart sank rather rapidly when he beheld the pile of large, thick, brand new-looking text books. "But today the materials for your last year of High School arrived!" Maria exclaimed happily, holding up a volume of Geography and another one of Mathematics – both of which Shadow looked at as if they'd just turned into Scylla and Charybdis.

"Oh. Great. Say, how about we do something else, like, you try and get Vincent to drown me again or someth-"

"_Shadow the Hedgehog, you are going to graduate High School whether you want to or not_."

"…yes, mylady," the black hedgehog replied quickly and with a certain resignation, already having figured out that there were less stupid ways to die than by standing in between a Robotnik and what they considered necessary education.

"Good," Maria brightened up again, before settling herself down cross-legged in front of his tube, spreading the materials. Shadow let his breathing become shallower to let himself sink in the tube as well, until he was almost kneeling on the floor, his legs folded underneath him while his body was still mostly suspended.

"With what do we start?" Shadow asked, peering at the books through the liquid. It wasn't very easy, having a water-filled cylinder for a classroom, considering he couldn't take notes or read books by himself.

"Geography," Maria stated. "We haven't done that for a while. And you should really know your Zones."

Shadow looked at the atlas she was pulling to herself and his eye ridges rose a little when he saw it was titled 'Mobius' and therefore, obviously a Sapient Edition and not a human one. It wouldn't differ much, but use different terminology; Shadow had learned a while ago that while humans called the planet they lived on 'Earth', Sapients called it 'Mobius', and themselves accordingly 'Mobians'. The same thing accounted for the language – whether the majority of people in Maria's homeland spoke 'English' or 'New Mobian' was entirely a matter of perspective – largely depending on whether the speaker's eyes were six or three feet from the floor, in fact.

Earlier, he'd picked up, there had even been wars, civil wars and riots when the two hemispheres (the North, formerly mostly populated by humans and the South, mostly populated by Sapients) had started to mingle and emigrate more frequently. By now, this had fortunately mostly degenerated into not much but occasional squabbles and stupid prejudices – humans thinking all Sapients were primitive, Sapients convinced all humans were essentially nuts – and in most countries, people both bare-skinned or covered in fur, scales and feathers had the same civic rights and living conditions, differences only in certain customs and the aforementioned use of terminology. Shadow himself thought he was probably a rarity; having been raised by nothing but humans, he thought and talked like them even if his outer form looked like he had been born a Sapient hedgehog. Maybe this atlas was Maria's attempt to bring him closer to his (non-existent) genetical heritage. Shadow's lips twitched briefly at this consideration, but truly, he didn't care. He had a family in Maria and the professor, and that was all he needed.

"Okay, we're gonna start from the top. Why don't you tell me what you know about Holoska…?"

Well.

Right now, he'd also really, really need a cheat sheet, but somehow, he doubted that that would be possible.

OoO

"Harsh," Sonic commented. "You were injured and they made you _study_?"

Shadow shrugged. "Well, it was the first time ever since GUN made me their property that I really had the time to do anything but either fight or be experimented on. Maria figured we should use the chance."

"Huh. Still. I mean, I've never liked schooling, but at least _I_ had the chance to vanish from the class room when the teacher blinked," Sonic added with a small smug grin. Shadow snorted.

"Figures you wouldn't see the value in education. Did you ever even graduate?"

Sonic sighed disinterestedly. "Not really. Robotnik blew up my schoolhouse when I was twelve and ever since then, I've been basically busy fighting him."

Shadow's eye ridges rose a little. "And you never wanted to go back and finish school when you defeated him for the first time?"

"Nah," Sonic shrugged. "I mean, it's not like I'd've been great at all that papery stuff, anyway. That is – was – more Tails' kind of thing," he said, and for a moment emerald eyes were looking into the distance at something Shadow couldn't see – but the black hedgehog was relieved that at the same time, a small, sad smile also flitted across the broken hero's lips, as if he was able to remember his younger companion now with loving, instead of hate-filled and destructive thoughts.

"I mean, I already know a _couple_ of things," Sonic continued at this point, apparently unaware of the Ultimate Lifeform's observations, "I'm not too bad with planes. Or plants and wildlife. Can DJ or play the guitar, too. Plus, I can calculate the angle of a rocket faster than any ol' computer, I'll bet," he said, winking at the other hedgehog. "It's not like I'd ever be thrown for money – if everything else failed, I could always start a delivery service." He chuckled. "Which reminds me, actually. After five years of running all across Mobius, I would have _nailed_ your geography pop quiz."

OoO

Shadow wanted to tear out his arm.

He briefly considered the statement, noticed that he had actually been thinking about it for quite a while already and therefore rephrased it.

_I don't want to tear out my arm. I want to scratch till it's gone instead. _

Oh, the pain had vanished.

But now his skin was being rebuilt and at the same time his black fur was growing back – and it itched, itched, itched, _itched._

Shadow glared irritably at his uncooperative limb, the thing a mass of fresh, red skin, pink patches where the nanites had already managed to build up a couple of more layers and short, wafting black and red fur that wasn't even half an inch long and tempted Shadow to gnaw the flesh off the bone to end the prickling, needly sensation. Well, at least there was one thing to look forward to today…

"Hi, Shadow! Ready to stand on your own two feet again?" Maria's cheerful voice raised him from any cannibalistic thoughts of desperation and red eyes lit up as the black hedgehog beheld his friend followed by her grandfather enter the laboratory, the blonde girl carrying in her arms his shoes and gloves like one would cradle a precious child.

Shadow felt the edges of his mouth invariably drawing upward as soon as he beheld his old skates, already yearning to put them on again. Professor Gerald nodded his greetings to him, which the suspended hedgehog returned, before moving onto the console that controlled Shadow's tank.

"Alright, then," he announced. "Begin drainage. Non-emergency protocols this time," he added with a small smile.

Black ears pricked up as the churning sounds of the pumps springing into life began to vibrate through the water and Shadow could feel his own excitement rising in time to the sinking water levels. He looked down at his black toes that floated ever closer to the bottom of his cylinder - and couldn't help a sudden grin as finally they touched ground.

Now the weight on his feet began to increase as for the first time in months, the liquid receded enough to first uncover flicking black ears, water pouring out of them as his hearing cleared after an eternity of echoing sounds, and then Shadow's head burst through the surface entirely, red eyes blinking in the sudden dry environment, but his muzzle stretched into a smile as he could finally reach up and remove the breathing mask.

"Hi, Maria."

The girl didn't reply, her own grin only growing broader as she beheld her healed friend inside the tank, her fingers clutching the garments she held even tighter, azure eyes mirroring the joy in crimson ones.

"Hey, Shadow…"

The black hedgehog reached out with his left hand to steady himself against the glass frame, but he didn't stumble and his knees didn't buckle even when the last drops of nutrient solution had vanished through the floor. Gerald smiled and pushed the button that would open the glass case – and when his granddaughter finally dropped the things she's been holding and dashed forward to bury the hedgehog in a hug, his only regret was that with all 300 of his IQ points he'd neglected to have brought a camera.

"Gah, now I'm all wet!" Maria laughed, releasing Shadow long enough to look down the front of her sky blue dress which had now a giant dark patch on it where soaked hedgehog fur had left an imprint. Shadow raised an eye ridge.

"Well, what did you expect?"

"Not having to bring so many towels, probably," Maria winked at him, before walking over to a chair and tossing Shadow one of the white space colony ARK issue towels, taking the other one for herself and rubbing her face in it that she had buried in his head fur. Shadow caught the cloth in one hand securely, first trying to dry off his head and dripping quills (which resulted in the towel being just slightly less usable and a lot more sliced to stripes….) and then rubbing down the rest of his body, dabbing carefully at the raw skin on his new arm.

Gerald had come closer and inspected the surface, nodding once briefly in approval.

"Very well. It seems like exposure to air has not caused any bleeding to start due to unfinished repairs. I'll give you some salve to apply so it'll heal off better."

"Thank you, professor," Shadow replied politely, trying to suppress the strange urge to tie the towel around his waist since it seemed like such an apt thing to do. Instead, he turned around to where Maria was standing with his clothes, smiling as she passed them toward him. Shadow could feel a wave of relief rushing through him as he slipped into his shoes and powered them up for the first time ever since he'd lost his arm. Finally, he felt complete again.

Maria smiled at her friend's obvious content with the world.

"What do you feel like doing?" she asked. "Experiments and the like are not going to start again until next week, so we have days to ourselves!" she said excitedly, for once letting her young age radiate through the mature exterior she had been forced to build up by the grim circumstances of their lives. Shadow pulled his left glove in place, fiddling the cuff underneath the power ring without much difficulty.

"Well, there's really only one thing," he said, before favouring Maria with a ghost of a smile of his own – "I'm going to kill Vincent, of course."

xxx

_Well. This hasn't played out quite like I expected._

"Are you feeling ready?"

"Uh. Yeah," Shadow replied with a bit of retardation, having briefly been startled out of his thoughts. He was standing in front of a door with Maria. And about to take his high school graduation exam.

_I was planning to murder someone and their reaction is to tell me that there's a quiz waiting for me. Somehow, this is quite bizarre. _

Still, he clutched the pens in his left hand slightly tighter, telling himself he _wasn't _nervous. He'd faced robots and clones, had believed himself dead so many times he hadn't even thought he'd be _able_ to feel terror anymore, he couldn't be afraid of a test, right? Wait, how did you multiply vectors again…?

The Ultimate Lifeform shook his head violently. Yesterday and today had been very, very odd. His right arm was bandaged now, a cooling salve underneath the gauze reducing his discomfort somewhat. Shadow involuntarily tensed as he could hear the professor's steps approaching behind the door, and sure enough only a second later it opened with its customary swishing sound and the old scientist beckoned them inside. It was a small room in the computer department, really containing nothing but a table, a chair and a desktop pc with a pile of blank paper neatly stacked in front of the screen.

"Relax, Shadow. It's easy. I took it when I was thirteen."

"Yeah, but you stem from a family of geniuses and your idea of fun is doing quadratic substitution in your head," Shadow muttered.

"I firmly believe nurture can have as much influence as nature," Gerald replied amiably, pulling out the chair. "And you've had an _excellent_ tutor those last few months," he said, Maria flushing with suppressed pride at his words. "Have a seat."

"Will I take the test online?" Shadow asked, walking over and climbing on the (slightly too large) human chair.

"Sort of. I've set everything up. It'll be an oral exam as well as a written one, so be sure to sit so the webcam can see you. You'll be communicating live with Earth," the professor explained, at the same time putting a hand on Maria's back as if already ushering her to leave.

"Wait, are you just going to leave me here?" Shadow asked, slightly alarmed. Gerald raised an eye brow.

"Well, Shadow, it's generally the way how exams work. But don't worry, I'm sure you'll be fine."

"Are you?" the black hedgehog asked, half-turned around on the chair toward his creator in the doorway. There was a moment of silence.

"…yes," the old man finally said and gave one of his smiles that had become so rare during the last years. "I'm sure you will. After all," he said, briefly looking over the rim of his glasses at his hedgehog, "All the Robotniks were."

Shadow suddenly found he couldn't speak and therefore only gave a brief nod in reply. The professor made to close the door.

"Good luck, Shadow!" Maria called. "Remember the right hand rule for electric current!" she laughed.

"You'll be fine, Shadow. Make me proud," the old scientist said quietly.

"Yes, professor," the black hedgehog whispered back, just before the door slid shut. He sighed briefly before turning around to the screen.

_Make his family proud…_

He drew in a small breath as the screen flickered into life in the very next second and he was staring at a talking cat.

"Is this thing working? Test? Oh, hello."

"What?" Shadow replied intelligibly. The cat of course was a Sapient, and a female and very pretty one at that. She had jet black fur, a white muzzle, fir green eyes and wore a purple top and choker, a jade necklace and two large gold rings pierced through her ear. If Shadow had to guess at her age he'd have placed her somewhere in her mid-thirties, but he really couldn't be too sure. Half of the Sapients he'd ever seen had been actors on TV pretending to be much younger than they really were, and actually conversing with a non-human was a novel experience for him. She was sitting at a table much like he was, so he couldn't see her lower half, but a black tail occasionally flicked into view. Shadow had never been too sure whether he felt as a Sapient himself, having been created by humans and now he also couldn't help but wonder how he must actually look to other…'Mobians'.

"Hi. Shadow, isn't it?" the feline smiled at him. "I'm Ebony the Cat."

"Hi?" Shadow ventured. A Mobian name. Of course. Maria had once mentioned that Sapients could decide whether they wanted a name in the traditional '(First Name) the (Species)' format or chose to add a last name to imitate the human standard.

"I'm the examiner that got assigned to you by the long-distance high school Professor Robotnik registered you in. Are you feeling ready to take the test?"

"Yes." Shadow nodded and the feline gave him a (slightly disconcerting) long-fanged smile.

"Good." She ticked something off on a paper lying in front of her. "You'll be taking the exam in Maths, Physics, Biology, Chemistry and Geography, is that correct?"

"Yes." Shadow nodded again. Finally, he couldn't stop himself. "Are there many on Earth like…me?" he asked.

"What?" Now the cat looked up, a bit confused, but not unfriendly so. "Long-distance high school students? Yes, of course. We are tutoring and examining people from all over the world that travel with their parents or live in remote places – not many in space, of course," she gave a little laugh.

Shadow shook his head. "No, I meant…looking like me," he said, again hating the insecurity he couldn't quite hide from his voice. Maria had told him a thousand times he would fit in just as well as anybody, but…

"What, you mean other hedgehogs? Shadow, do you really feel okay?" the examiner asked, now sounding just a little bit worried, twitching her whiskers. Shadow distantly noted that he'd have to learn a whole new set of body language if he was to deal with Sapients if they ever made it down to Earth, but still managed to nod.

"Yeah. Yeah, I'm good. I'm just…not used to be around new people, that's all."

"Ah. I see. I can understand that, I've got to admit I didn't even know there were Mobians living aboard the space colony ARK at all. Any others besides you?"

"No," Shadow shook his head. The only other being that could have qualified might have been his clone, UL 2/25, but he had neither had a name nor sentience.

"That must be tough," the feline said sympathetically, her ears drooping a bit in what Shadow supposed could mean empathy.

"I manage," he replied, "After all, I still have Maria and the professor." _Plus, a human punching bag called Vincent if I should ever get too stressed out. _

"Good for you," Ebony nodded, regaining her earlier cheer and gripping her pen once more in black-furred, gloveless hands, what might possibly have been an oddity of some sort, Shadow wasn't sure. Green eyes narrowed a bit as she looked up again, though.

"Your arm is bandaged. Are you quite sure you're alright? I have to ask, because you can always take this exam another time if you could fail now for medical reasons."

"Yeah, it's almost healed. Work accident," Shadow replied smoothly (and not quite untruthfully).

"Okay," the examiner replied, not looking quite convinced but apparently deciding to leave it for later. "Then I'll begin the exam." She seemed to press a button on the screen. "Please state your full name."

"Shadow?" Shadow replied, by now not exactly sure anymore. She couldn't mean his project name, surely?

"Your full name," Ebony repeated. "Are you called Shadow the Hedgehog or Shadow Robotnik?"

"Er…" the Ultimate Lifeform paused, not exactly sure what he was supposed to answer. The majority of people around here actually called him 'that _thing_', but somehow, he doubted that Ebony wanted to hear this.

"That is, wait," the cat suddenly broke the moment of silence herself. "You haven't decided yet, have you?"

"I don't think so," Shadow replied carefully. _Professor, what have you gotten me into here?_

"Yes, in cases of adoption like yours that can be tough," the cat said, nodding understandingly. "Since you're a minor, you'd still have some time left, though, don't you? You're…sixteen now, I think?"

_Try a fourth of that age. _"Yes. Sixteen," Shadow confirmed, privately a little amused that apparently, the professor had designated _him _the older brother with that. Even if he hadn't really…adopted him, had he? No.

"Well, one year still to go before you'd have to legally settle for one version then, no problem," Ebony replied cheerfully, "I'll just fill in both with a slash, they should understand that, you're not the first one with a complicated heritage."

_Oh, you'd be surprised. _"Thank you," Shadow replied loudly instead.

"Good, I think we're all set, then," the cat confirmed. Ready to begin with the Mathematics section…?"

It was a very exhausted Shadow that stumbled out of the door a few hours later, but the open arms of Maria and the smiling face of the professor Gerald more than made up for everything.

xxx

"And you're sure this is the appropriate way to celebrate your graduation?" Maria asked a little while later and just with a hint of sarcasm, looking down at her friend currently reclining on the burgundy couch. Shadow checked the items around him.

"Let me see….Popcorn from Nate…pillows…stack of dvds…fake warning of radiation problems in the movie theatre, so no-one will come in here and interrupt the viewing pleasure…yes, I think we're all set," Shadow replied unperturbed. "Besides, I haven't _graduated_ yet. They'll send us the test results in a few days."

"Yeah, but still…" Maria said, picking up one of the movies, looking at the cover and wrinkling her nose. "B-movie-horror?"

"I happen to like them. They make me think of Vincent," Shadow replied, earning himself another eye roll from Maria.

"Shadow, will you _stop_ thinking of revenge?"

"He did try to kill me," the black hedgehog pointed out, his tone serious now. "He shouldn't have expected to live if he failed."

"I don't like you talking like this," Maria said quietly, hugging her body as if cold and turning away from him. "It's like I don't even know you anymore."

The black hedgehog briefly closed his eyes, the words for some reason hurting more than they should. He breathed out.

"Maria…I'm sorry."

There was a dark side to him. He knew that by now. Whether GUN had created it with their brutal training or whether it had been there all along, he didn't know and never would. But what he knew was that whenever those azure eyes looked at him, he wished he could deny it was there…

"I didn't mean those things I said. Please stay," he said, his voice low and eyes downcast. He didn't look up until the couch beneath him moved…pressed down by a slender human body now sitting beside him. Shadow looked up and saw Maria, finally smiling at him.

"That's my Shadow. Thank you."

"Yeah," Shadow sighed. Deciding changing topics might be the wisest choice after all, he then picked up the movie again. "But I'm not going to be sorry about making you sit through all 95 minutes of 'The Defurrer', extended edition. This one's got the scene with the goat and the balloon animals."

"Yay," Maria sunk somewhat deeper into the cushions. "But only if I get to choose the second movie."

"Deal," Shadow said, having stood up to put the disc into the player. When he noticed Maria's small little smile as he turned around again, there appeared just the tiniest knot of worry in his throat, however. He swallowed.

"Oh no. No. Not again. Please don't-"

"We're going to be watching _Notting Hill_," Maria announced cheerfully, "With Hugh the Grunt and Julia the Robin, she's a bird movie star flying the skies and he's just a common garden fish variety, it's one of the greatest Mobian romantic comedies of all time!"

"Great. You think the professor could suspend me in the tank again?"

"Why don't you sit down here so I can punch your sore arm?"

xxx

It was a lot later that night when Shadow finally pressed the button on the remote that would switch the giant TV off. There was silence now in the room, except for the peaceful breathing of his friend, who had sunken against him at some point during the last movie they had watched, 'The Defurrer Part IV: It's Fur If It Bleeds' possibly during the scene when the titular character had just been about to do something unsavoury to the poor chipmunk backpackers that somehow had never gotten that part about not staying in hostels in strange backwater countries, especially if you're two guys, two girls, and one of you is blonde. It had been the fourth movie of the evening, (right after Maria had forced him through Legally Blonde Ray, some idiotic flick about _another _fish, for Chaos sake, except she wanted to be an marine environmental attorney this time) and now it seemed like it had been finally too much for her body – that, or her brain had decided to shut down to prevent insanity from rotten movies, anyway.

Shadow gently lifted her head off his shoulder and placed it on the couch. He got up silently, rummaged around for the blanket he knew had to be there, and draped it over her, placing his hand for a moment on her side, but not waking her up. He paused.

"I'm sorry," he whispered. "I'm not sorry about what I'm going to do, but I'm sorry that I lied to you about it earlier."

He turned away and stalked to the door, the contraption opening almost soundlessly, the soft clink of his hoverskates on the metal floor outside the only sounds in the moonlit, dim world that was the ARK during their artificial night time among the stars.

Shadow started to walk, knowing that Vincent wasn't going to survive the night.

_To be continued...

* * *

_

(looks around ghost town) oh dear...it hasn't been two months already since the last update? Apparently so...oooh, how about you take that as adding another dimension of realism to the passing of time with the small scenes in this chapter? Hm? No? Yeah, I thought so, too...^^°

But anyway, THANKS to anybody still sticking with this story after all this time! :D It's not dead, it's not dying and I hope you enjoyed this new chapter as well. :) On related news, I'll be attending Summer of Sonic this year in London, anybody else coming? :P If you read, please review...


	45. Bullets like Lightning, Fire like Rain

**Chapter 45: Bullets like Lightning, Fire like Rain **

Tonight was a night for the dying.

Shadow was almost as soundless as his namesake as he stalked through the darkness of the ARK's corridors, the spacestation once again sunk into the nocturnal half of its artificial rhythm of time in the sea of endless, indifferent deep space. All lights but the weak emergency illumination strips on the sides of the floor had been switched off and only from behind a few doors of the civilian half of the ship the faint (and often frustrated) groans of some sleepless scientists still puzzling over some problem or other could be heard. Shadow paid them no regard. Tonight, he would _solve_ his problem.

The slim, anthropomorphic shape moved from the science half of the ship through the neutral areas into the sectors occupied by the military with the ease of a ghost, or perhaps a skilled assassin. No patrol had crossed his way yet as the Ultimate Lifeform drew ever closer to the cabin where he knew his almost-murderer was sleeping. He turned the corner and could see it now. It did not look different from any of the other faceless, metal sliding doors and Shadow only could tell which one it was because he knew it was the third from the right. An unusual spot to choose for a room, too – every other cabin on this corridor was empty or used for storage. Shadow had found out about it during one of his many nightly brief escapes when he had been in the captivity of GUN during the day and regularly broke out of his cell for a few hours of freedom after dark. The Ultimate Lifeform had also found out that apparently, Vincent was quite the insomniac, as the young hedgehog often had had to quickly hide around a corner when a muttering, blotchy-faced son of the Commander returned to his room at all hours in the morning, clutching some snack or plastic cup of coffee from one of the vending machines. What he was doing sitting up all night, Chaos knew. The black hedgehog suddenly wondered whether Vincent might actually be up right now, too...?

Blood-red eyes narrowed. It didn't matter. Shadow would kill him whether he was awake or sleeping.

OoO

"Woah, wait," Sonic piped up at this point. He was feeling vaguely uncomfortable with this. Listening to Shadow drowning had been bad, but at least he had been able to take comfort in the fact that since the black hedgehog was the guy _telling_ the story, he somehow had had to have made it out of there alive. And while Sonic knew what had happened to Gerald and Maria in the eventual disaster aboard the ARK, he had no idea whether that boy Vincent had survived...and if he _hadn't_, just how he had died.

_Am I listening to a murder being committed right now?_

"What?" Shadow asked, somewhat irritably. He was trying to tell a good story here, but Sonic seemed to be kind of guy who inevitably always hit the pause button at all the best scenes in a movie and then declared he needed more cheetos.

"Uh...you're freaking me out here. A little."

"Why?" Shadow frowned. "This is hardly one of the worst parts right now," he argued, which was true. Sonic didn't doubt that if the tale of the Ultimate Lifeform's existence had been a bound book and not a story told in the middle of the night, it would have been written in blood.

"Because you might be telling me how you deliberately, willingly murdered someone."

"So?" the black hedgehog asked.

"You even just said that you wouldn't care if someone was asleep when you killed him!"

"And that would be a problem because...?" Shadow retorted, eyes half-lidded and expression non-impressed. The blue hedgehog in front of him pressed his mouth into a thin line.

"Heroes don't kill when they don't have to, Shadow. And you never attack your enemy when he is down."

There was a moment of silence after those words and the two almost look-alike hedgehogs stared at each other, their gazes a connection without words. Sonic's words had not been an accusation. They had been a fact. The blue-furred speedster had sounded hoarse when he had said them but there was no doubt that he had been utterly sincere. Shadow finally broke the eye contact and inclined his head.

"That is correct," he admitted matter-of-factly. "However, you seem to have forgotten something," he said, and when he raised his head again, there seemed to be a certain dark glint in his eyes and Sonic wondered whether the younger Shadow in the story might have had the exact same expression all those years ago. "You are a hero," Shadow said and then his lip curled in what only a fool would have called a smile.

" _I_ am not."

And before Sonic could say anything else, the black hedgehog was already continuing the story, spinning his tale of murder and mystery through the night. The blue hedgehog tried to follow, yet suddenly there was also a new thought that kept nagging at his mind...

_Shadow just for the first time called me a hero and used the present tense. _

OoO

Years ago and thousands of miles away aboard the ARK there were no concerns at all.

Shadow started to move.

Should he knock? Should he blast the door off its hinges? Should he call out so Vincent knew he was coming? He didn't know. He didn't care either. He had abandoned his movements of stealth now, walking toward the door slowly, knowing that there was not a soul nearby anyway. Shadow's world was reduced to the corridor, the door in front of him and the sounds of his own steps, their echoes clanking against the steel walls like the ticking of a clock of death.

What kind of repercussions would there be for the death of the Commander's son? Shadow honestly couldn't say. He did not plan on leaving any marks betraying his identity and he would have an alibi – no-one apart from Maria knew he was able to roam the ARK at night as he pleased. The way Graves' behaved toward his son, Shadow wasn't even sure how the old man would react.

Shadow stopped in front of the cabin. Then he reached out, braced his feet and then tore it open by force. The metal screamed as it was slid sideways as if it had been alive.

"What-?" Vincent whirled around his own axis. He hadn't been asleep, but he was only dressed in his pyjama pants as he had just been about to go to bed. Now he was staring, wide-eyed, bare-chested and bare-foot at the black hedgehog that so far had only invaded his nightmares and sadistic fantasies, but now had made it into his very real room.

"Hello," Shadow said. "My name is Shadow the Hedgehog. You tried to kill me. Prepare to die."

X—X

"You did _not_ say that!"

"Perhaps I didn't," Shadow smirked. "But The Princess Bride _was_ one of my and Maria's all-time favourites."

X—X

"What-?" Vincent whirled around, his face a mask of shock, but only for a moment. Hate flooded his features like a spasm. "What do you want here?"

Shadow shoved the last bit of the door aside with a small push. He stood in the doorway now, head lowered and blood-red eyes piercing the darkness.

He smiled. "Have you ever danced with the devil in the pale moonlight?"

X-X

"_Will_ you stop with the movie quotes?"

"..."

"...I hope this Vincent character kills you."

"Okay, okay. Here is what happened."

X—X

Vincent could feel his mouth run dry and his blood turn cold. He had had this nightmare many times before but this time, it was reality. He had seen the hedgehog fight and he knew exactly how dangerous the Ultimate Lifeform was. There were no patrols nearby. The mutant could kill him in seconds. The human boy was almost frozen to the spot when the experiment began to walk toward him, his strides even and calm and inevitable. Shadow was walking like Death.

But there was one last chance...

"Stay right there," Vincent croaked. "Don't you dare come closer!" he warned, taking a step backwards toward his bed. Shadow's upper lip curled, showing his sharp, non-human incisors.

"You tried to kill me," the black hedgehog reminded him. "Several times and each time you failed harder than the last. I'll be kind," he said, and his tone could not have been further from the content of his words. "I will show you how it's done."

"N-no!" Vincent bumped against his bed and fell on top of it, his hands catching him so he didn't end up on his back. He held up his left palm as if he hoped to be able to ward off an attack with it. "Please...have mercy!" he called out, his mis-matched eyes silently pleading. Shadow's face didn't show any movement.

"You're about four years too late for that," Shadow said flatly. He held out his gloved hand and the dreaded emerald flames Vincent had already learned to fear sprang into malignant life. "Any mercy I might have had for mankind drowned in that tube." And because this was his first kill and Shadow had perhaps seen one movie too many, he could not help but add as he drew his hand backwards to hurl the deadly lightning bolt at the human:

"I'm not giving you time to pray because there's no god who would take you into his arms. CHAOS-!"

"_Maria wouldn't want you to do this!"_ Vincent screamed – and Shadow halted. Only for a second, but it was a second too long.

Vincent threw himself to the side of the bed, the Chaos Spear shooting over his head. His right hand dove under the pillow and the next sound cracking through the room was the discharge of a fired gun.

Shadow cried out as a searing pain suddenly exploded in his right shoulder, his reflexes having saved him from an even worse fate. As he stumbled backwards with his left hand clutching at the wound, he could not help but stare disbelievingly at the earlier so terrified teenage boy now holding an army gun in his hand and wearing the dirtiest grin Shadow had ever seen.

"What is it, beast? Surprised?"Vincent asked, straightening up and leering at the injured hedgehog. He was holding the gun steady and professionally, not giving himself over to any of the sideways nonsense seen in the movies, but his voice was trembling with excitement again, his tone dancing with wicked glee as he obviously thought to have the cringing Sapient under his power once more. They were staring each other down now, at opposite ends of the room with the destroyed door; Shadow slightly stooped and grabbing his right shoulder in an attempt to stop the blood flow, teeth bared and panting while the human teenager had him in his focus, his bare torso glistening with sweat from the adrenaline this near-death experience had made his body release.

"You're beyond contempt," Shadow informed him. "Maria matters to you not one bit."

"And that's where you're wrong, animal," the teenager retorted. "I love her more than anything in the world. That is why I have to make sure you'll never endanger her again."

"I'm the cure for her sickness, you moron," the black hedgehog snarled. "Shoot me and you shoot her. You stole this gun, didn't you?"

"None of your business," the grey-haired human replied far too quickly. "I knew you would come after me. I needed protection."

"There is not a thing in the _world_ that could protect you from me," Shadow said and he sounded utterly sincere. Vincent swallowed and had to lick his lips. A part of him screamed at his brain to get this over with, kill the freak on the spot here and now, but he just couldn't do it yet. That wouldn't give him the proper _satisfaction_. He not only wanted the hedgehog dead, he wanted him _broken_. Bruised and whimpering on the floor, admitting his inferiority to mankind and Vincent at last.

"See? And that is where you're wrong," the son of the Commander stated, for the first time taking a step toward his wounded prey. "Because you still haven't understood what your role on this world is. Man rules. Animals serve. You're nothing but cattle," he said, spitting on the floor to drive the point home, "Cattle with fancy abilities maybe, but cattle still. We made you. We can destroy you. Because that is what mankind does best. Handling weapons. Handling tools," he said, his tone ever so smug. With his free hand he gestured over to his computer terminal, the large CRT display towering on the desktop like a monstrosity itself. "I'm a wizard in cyberspace. I heard you can't even handle one of those without the thing melting its hard drive. Animal. And now you're about to die, because no matter how perfect your body might be, it won't survive a man-made bullet to its heart."

Vincent smiled one last time and shot.

X-X

"Say, Sonic, how about we end the chapter here?"

"If you do that, the readers will kill you. And I might not stop them."

X-X

The explosion of the gun rang out clear in the small room and when it ricochetted, it hit one of the neon lights in the ceiling, the thing bursting into a thousand glittering splinters, the gas inside released in a nebulous cloud, momentarily obscuring Vincent's view of his victim -

-wait. The bullet had _ricochetted_?

The grey-haired boy barely had had time to compute what that meant, when the midnight shape of the Ultimate Lifeform already came flying at him, shoes blazing almost as deadly as the glint in his eyes. There was the wet smack of baseball bat hitting a sand sack as a white-gloved fist impacted on the bare chest of the commander's son, ribs bending inward more than they should and the teenager flying backwards, his head connecting with the wall to a sickening crack.

"I am the creation of Professor Gerald Robotnik. And no mere fool with a gun from GUN could ever destroy his genius," Shadow informed his prone adversary, his words drenched in contempt as he advanced. Yet the black hedgehog's threats were far more boisterous than his actual state warranted, his hand clutching a shoulder where red blood was seeping into his now tainted glove and running down his black-furred arm in rivulets, adding unwanted crimson streaks to the one of his natural pelt. Vincent hadn't entirely missed his mark.

"Oh yeah?" the grey-haired teenager retorted at this moment, raising his head again and squinting through the pain. "Then how come you were stupid enough to charge a gunman _head-on_?"

Shadow suddenly realized that Vincent still hadn't lost his weapon. The Ultimate Lifeform tensed as his enemy focused on him again, and he was once more staring at the barrel of the gun.

"I'm no genetically engineered freak abomination like you, but I have been in combat training as well," the human opposite him stated, "Don't expect such an easy victory like three years ago."

Shadow gave a curt nod. It was devoid of respect – Vincent had lost any of that in Shadow's view already when he had pulverized his arm in a sneak attack more than half a year ago – but it said that the Ultimate Lifeform acknowledged him as an adversary. The air was filled with hate, but this also worked to the hedgehog's advantage; both wanted the other to die and to do so at their hands. And while Vincent could have tried to alert the guards or anyone on his vid-phone by pressing the emergency button, he didn't. He didn't want any help. This was just between them.

"_Die, vermin!"_

"CHAOS SPEAR!"

Vincent fired another bullet and Shadow hurled a lance of lightning. The aim of both was off as they simultaneously had to dodge the projectile of the other, Vincent rolling to the side on the floor and back on his feet while Shadow twisted lithely to the side, the bullet once again bouncing off the wall and this time embedding itself in the bed as the Chaos Spear burst into a thousand crackling sparks when it missed its target. Shadow briefly thought in a twist of irony that in the end they might both die from ricochets. Then the next bullet whizzed past his ear and there was no time to think any more but only to fight.

His shoulder wound was burning as he summoned the Chaos inside himself again and again, the deadly Energy hissing and surging past the damaged tissue, but he didn't care. Shadow had been in worse pain, and not only during the weeks of agony it had taken his bones to regrow. Adrenaline was dancing in his brain, being whirled about by the staccato music of gunfire and he was deaf to anything else but the battle.

"Stay still!" Vincent shouted redundantly as once again, his aim had missed, the hedgehog rolling out of the way and retaliating with one of his freak attacks, burning Vincent's face as it grazed his side. He refused to cry out. He had to finish the mutant here and now. Though he would never admit it out loud, of course the teenager knew that in pure physical combat ability the hedgehog had the upper hand, but fortunately, the confinement of the small room they were fighting in worked greatly to his advantage, limiting the Sapient's evasive abilities and cutting his speed more than in half. If Vincent wanted to defeat him, it would have to be here.

His nightstand lamp exploded, whether from another stray bullet or Chaos Spear no-one of the combatants could tell, even as both hissed when flying splinters came shooting toward them and embedded themselves in exposed skin.

"Maria _hates_ you!"

"_Everyone_ on the space station hates _you_!"

Shadow threw another Chaos Spear, but Vincent dived behind the bed for protection. The next second, the hedgehog was thrown off guard when the human, kneeling on the floor, pushed the mattress off the metal stand toward him with a scream, hitting him and sending him stumbling backward. A bullet pierced his ear and Shadow cried out. His hand flew to the injured appendage and came back bloody, trails of crimson leaking down his face. Shadow looked at the boy with murder in his eyes.

"Bleed, you bastard-" Vincent gave a triumphant grin, levelling his weapon at his enemy in preparation for the next and final shot, but then was almost cut in half as the hedgehog had curled up in a split second and spin-dashed at him, the pain he was in and the boiling rage inside him obviously enough to let the creature listen to his feral instincts again. Vincent didn't care, though. Spittle crusting his lips and any utterings little more than vicious snarls, he was much closer to the beast that was man than humanity anyway. And so the battle continued, deep in space and high above the stars, no-one aboard the space station knowing what was going on and no-one watching but the moon.

Shadow bounced off the wall, uncurling to land on his feet again, only to find the barrel suddenly inches from his face, his red eyes near criss-crossing when the metal almost touched his skin. He inwardly cursed himself; he had practised this spinning manoeuvre much too infrequently. For a second human and hedgehog only stared at each other, the cold shock of expecting to die having left Shadow momentarily immobile. When the bullet piercing his skull never came, though, a bit of confusion made itself felt.

Vincent stared him down. "Move."

"What?" Shadow asked. The human still had one bullet and him plain in his sight. Why wasn't he shooting?

"You're standing in front of my computer. I don't want it to get damaged when your blood spills. Step to the side."

Shadow didn't move. "So there's important data for you in there, yeah?"

The son of the commander's face twisted in hate. "Don't get any funny ideas."

"Never," Shadow replied...before adding two simple words.

"Chaos Blast."

OoO

Sonic didn't know whether to recoil in horror...or get the popcorn. The carnage unfolding before his mind's eye at Shadow's narration, so vividly and brightly painted in the colours of fire and blood, had lost nothing of its impact even if it had happened a long time before this waking night. The blue speedster shifted in his seat, licking over dry lips as he felt he had difficulty sitting still. Faint memories were stirring, of excitement almost forgotten, of the thrill of living life like a dance on the edge of a blade, of courting danger akin a lover whose hands concealed a knife. He, too, had once been like that...until it had suddenly ended with two sky blue eyes closed forever and a grief that was impossible to bear. Yet Tails had loved their lifestyle more than anything else...

Shadow seemed to notice Sonic's fidgeting in his chair and internal battle by now, because he paused in his narration and tilted his head.

"...do you need to go to the bathroom?"

"What? No," Sonic shook his head in faint irritation and with a light blush before running one of his freshly-gloved hands through his quills. "I was..." he hesitated briefly, but then continued anyway, "...I was wondering what a Chaos Blast feels like. For you."

Shadow blinked, but for a second an almost unnoticeable gleam of approval seemed to have flickered up in his eyes. The black hedgehog leaned forward.

"Why do you want to know?"

"I..." again, the blue speedster seemed to have to fight to find the right words. "...because I want to know what it felt like," he finally finished, simply, but precise. There was a moment of silence, but then Shadow at last leaned backwards again and took a breath.

"It is like...fire. Ancient fire and thunder and rage, coalescing within you and for one second you are the storm at the heart of the universe and you burn like the core of the sun. There is more energy summoned within you than you ever thought possible and it screams through your pores, scorches your skin and turns every single cell inside your body into a needle pinprick suspended in your boiling blood."

There was a bit of silence. Sonic slowly pushed the idea of eating popcorn (or indeed, anything ever again), from his mind.

"That...doesn't sound very pleasant."

"Not as such," Shadow shook his head, briefly closing his eyes. "However, it's over so fast your senses can't even conceive what's happening, so usually there's no actual pain, if you're not already injured. Also," he said, and here his gaze all at once bored into Sonic's again, "You will never feel more _alive_. But I think you knew that."

"...yes," Sonic replied slowly. Because Chaos Blast actually didn't sound too different from turning Super...and also because what Shadow had described was simply one of the many scents of adventure, and Sonic had tasted them all. And now he was asking for Shadow to describe them to him again, helping him remember what had once been the song in his heart after he had forgotten the words...

OoO

Aboard the ARK, the world became red, burning chaos. The blast had ripped through everything in the room, thrown Vincent off his feet for the second time, tore open the bed and sent the nightstead, chair and desk crashing against the wall, getting smashed to pieces. Next, even Shadow was thrown to his knees as behind him, the computer had actually given an explosion of his own, perhaps a result of the tubes inside the old monitor. The black hedgehog turned to look over his bleeding shoulder to see the casing bursting into flame, the plastic, silicone and cables burning and melting in the pyre, a sharp, poisonous stench hitting his sensitive nose as black smoke and flickering gases rose from the flaring mess, the scattered books and papers from the desk catching on fire almost at once.

Both Shadow's and Vincent's already tired and bruised bodies immediately released even more adrenaline as their eyes snapped open at the new development, flames reflected in their hypnotized gazes as, for a second, this age-old danger had both Sapient and human in its mesmerizing grasp.

Then, the sprinklers started.

"_Aaah_!" Shadow yelped as the spray of cold water hit him in the back of the neck, the Ultimate Lifeform possibly disliking the wet element even more than its burning counterpart. Still behind the bed, Vincent started to sputter too, as the spray drenched his half-dressed body, trying to shield his face and comprehend what had just happened. His gaze fell onto the blazing wreck of what had once been his computer.

"_NO__!_" It was a mixture between a roar and a shriek, but mostly it was utter horror and despair.

Shadow's head turned at the noise, the dazed hedgehog running dangerously low on Chaos Energy now starting to frown in irritation as he was already suffering from an annoying headache and the brat Vincent only made it worse. Then, black and bleeding ears flicked as he once again could hear that peculiar noise of a gun being readied just in front of him.

"You destroyed my data! Everything I worked for! You bastard! You ANIMAL!" Vincent howled in indomitable rage, firing a shot straight at the hedgehog, who of course could dodge it only all too easily, the grey-haired son of the commander now blinded by fury. Everything was slick and wet in the relentless rain of the sprinklers now, so it was a wonder the gun even worked – Shadow himself had trouble to see with the blood from his pierced ear and water now mingling and running down his face freely. Of course, now the sirens started to howl as well, to alert any personnel to help with evacuation or first aid in case the fire had endangered any residents. Vincent seemed heedless of this, now charging forward with a scream of primal fury, hands outstretched as if he was attempting to kill Shadow with or without the help of his empty gun now. Shadow immediately went into a defensive position, but the human's bare feet were already slipping on the wet floor and the son of the commander went down backwards with a yelp, his head connecting hard with the steel frame of his bed. On the floor he lay motionless, a small trickle of blood slowly starting to run from his skull, the crimson liquid mixing with the water to form a rose-coloured halo around his head. Shadow stared at him, panting for a moment. The battle was over.

Or was it? Vincent's chest was still rising and falling, the boy unconscious but not dead. His injuries did not look fatal. The black hedgehog stepped toward him, water still falling on top of him and dropping from his spines onto the prone body of his defeated enemy. The Ultimate Lifeform himself was trembling badly now, the repeated channelling and using of such large amounts of Chaos Energy had left him drained and close to fainting himself. There was no way he could summon another Chaos Spear to finish what he had come here to do. His heart was still beating a tattoo in his chest as the sirens howled in the background and his gaze ghosted to the human's gun lying forlornly next to his limp hand. No use, either. All the bullets were gone and the thing was soaked.

Could he...choke him? Use one of the pillows to suffocate this brat that he hated most in the entire world? How much power did it take to kill a human with your own bare hands...?

Black ears perked up from their drooping state as the sound of boots pounding over metal reached him through the hissing of the dying fire and the pattering of the artificial rain. Soldiers would be here soon. When Shadow had arrived, he couldn't have cared less what would happen to him after he had had his revenge, but now, the first traces of second thoughts began to seep into his mind. Did he really want to throw away his life for this? He had just made it through his High school exams...

For some reason, that silly little thought suddenly made him wish it wouldn't have to end like this, him being executed for murder and never seeing Maria again. The professor, too, would be so disappointed if he saw what Shadow had chosen to do with his powers, after he had just been so proud of him today...

Now he could hear the first shout of the patrol heading their way and that was enough to finally snap him out of this catatonic state. The Ultimate Lifeform summoned the last of his strength to power up his skates again and dashed for the door, escaping into the darkness that soon enveloped him like a protective cloak, while at his back the first humans had just turned the corner, shouts of shock escaping their lips as they saw the carnage he had left behind.

OoO

Sonic...stared.

"What?" Shadow asked. "Something the matter with my face?"

"No..." the blue hedgehog said, appearing slightly dazed himself. A part of him was glad that Shadow had not cold-bloodedly killed the boy in the story (even though apparently it hadn't been due to lack of trying) but another part of him...simply couldn't believe this.

"You...snuck out in the middle of the night, trying to assassinate a teenager, who then had a gun under his pillow, battled him until the room burst into flame and then ran away, the whole thing taking place on a space station where you were some sort of semi-illegal experiment. I think something in me just gave up and died."

Shadow shrugged. "I was given to understand you yourself earlier had no less insane adventures."

"True, but..." Sonic conceded, seemingly wanted to contradict Shadow, struggled to find any words and then simply gave a long-suffering sigh. "I can't believe it. Weren't there even any consequences? I mean...I mean you tried to kill a person."

"Oh, there were consequences alright," Shadow nodded. "I just hadn't been thinking about those until then. So much for unplanned revenges, by the way," he added, just in case Sonic hadn't gotten the hint, even if the black hedgehog doubted his blue doppelganger was still bent on avenging his kid brother by murdering his murderer. The fact that Sonic himself had recoiled from the younger Shadow's blood-lust earlier and insisted that this wasn't the right way to go about this had shown the Ultimate Lifeform that there was a hero returning...

OoO

In the dark corridors of the ARK, the first doubts and worries were now slowly starting to catch up with the midnight shape skating through the space station on his return. What kind of consequences would there be? Vincent was still unconscious, but when he awoke, what would he say? First he'd have to explain the illegal weapon he had stolen, presumably...

The black hedgehog hastily typed in the code that would let him enter the laboratory where he was supposed to sleep again, a spike of resentment flaring up in him once more when a little voice reminded him that if the consequences were severe, he had brought them upon himself and not even managed to kill Vincent in the process. Tan lips pressed themselves into a thin line. Technically, he had only failed because that whiny brat had had a gun. Chaos Spears were powerful and had a wide range, but costed a lot more energy than simply pulling a trigger and there was no possibility he could use them for rapid fire or a sneak attack when he had to virtually throw them. It was because he had no weapon of his own that it had been a draw...

Shadow gave a dry snort as he pressed the button to close the door again, padding into the laboratory, black fur still wet and stuck to his skin, beginning to itch. Not that they'd let him handle any guns during his combat training. No, of course not. His fist clenched briefly. Because they thought he was no more than an _animal_...

His shoulder sent a fresh pulse of pain through his body and Shadow squeezed his eyes shut, yet refused to acknowledge his discomfort with so much as a wince, even if there was noone to listen anyway. He clutched at the wound again, his glove already drenched in so much red it didn't make a difference. The black hedgehog couldn't help but wonder whether they'd try to execute him as soon as they found out he had attacked the boy. But no, they still needed him. Would they try to confine him again? He could still break out. Maybe he should go and see Maria...

_No. If I went there now she'd probably have a heart attack. _

The Ultimate Lifeform looked at his bloodied hands and sighed. This truly had been a deed of madness, in retrospect. But still, he had always known that there was a vengeful streak residing within him, barely contained by the soothing influence of his best friend...and he had had his revenge, judging by Vincent's over-the-top reaction to his destroyed computer anyway, but would it be his downfall in the end?

Shadow groaned as he could feel that he was barely able to stand now, exhaustion and blood-loss letting him feel light-headed and disoriented. He needed help, yet there was no-one there...but then his gaze fell onto the cylinder that had been his prison and hospital bed for over four months. It was empty now, everything in stand-by mode and the glass tube lowered into the floor. Shadow paused for a moment, swaying slightly in his weakened state, as his somewhat foggy mind tried to come up with a plan...

xxx

Gerald tossed and turned in his bed again, troubled dreams and darker thoughts depriving him of a peaceful slumber as always. Each morning, he was one of the few specimen of mankind actually grateful to hear the sound of his alarm clock ringing, because it meant he could finally stop trying to sleep.

This morning, he was not woken by his alarm clock, but by Commander Graves nearly ordering his door to be blown out of its frame.

"ROBOTNIK!"

"What...?" the old scientist stuttered, blinking sleepily and trying to fasten his hastily-grabbed morning gown around his broadening waistline, "Graves, what on Earth...?"

"_Where_ is Project Shadow?" the commander barked, seeming thoroughly agitated and tense. There were armed soldiers surrounding him, their weapons at the ready and their demeanour akin an army under siege.

"Why – he's in my laboratory, of course," Gerald stammered, having to force his old heart to get his blood pressure up again so he could think straight after being startled awake so rudely. "Commander, I demand you tell me the meaning of thi-"

"Secure the perimeter!" the grey-haired soldier had already barked and the men he had brought with him obeyed without hesitation, immediately surrounding the door leading to the laboratory and taking up positions with their guns at the ready as if Godzilla himself was hiding behind it. Gerald stumbled up to Graves, the old man an almost comical figure in his dressing gown and nightcap amid the military.

"Graves!" he barked. "For the last time, what is going on?"

"Your creature, Robotnik, broke out and went on a killing spree last night. My son Vincent is being treated in the hospital as we speak."

"Impossible," Gerald breathed. "Shadow was with Maria all night, and he would never-"

"Men. Prepare to charge the lab," Graves interrupted the elderly scientist, obviously not interested in the other's opinion.

"Grandpa? What is going on?" A sleepy-looking Maria had also appeared on the scene now, staring at the assembled forces with wide eyes. "Is something wrong?"

"Take the child away," the commander ordered. "I don't want a second casualty."

"Hold it, will you? I refuse to believe that Shadow would have attacked anyone on this space station. What proof do you have that he was involved in whatever happened last night at all?" Gerald protested, at the same time posturing himself in front of the door, daring them to try and remove him. Graves' eyes narrowed.

"My son's word. He regained consciousness half an hour ago and claims that the experiment broke into his room at some time half past two, trying to kill him."

"Does he," Gerald replied, face unmoving. "And what else do you have, apart from the testimony of a boy who is less than emotionally stable and for whatever reason harbours an unnatural hatred toward my hedgehog?"

The mis-matched gaze of the Commander darkened for a moment, but less so than one would expect of a father whose hurt child's credibility had just been doubted. Instead, he seemed to force himself to think for a moment about Gerald's words.

"His injuries included burns and bruises, and his room was a scene of carnage, Robotnik. No matter what else I think of my son, I am certain he would not stoop to deliberate self-injury."

"That still doesn't prove Shadow is the one responsible," the elderly scientist pointed out, glad that even in distress he was still able to think logically. "What about the surveillance cameras?" he asked. There were none in the living quarters of the civilian half, but GUN's paranoia had ensured that the personel sleeping in the military section was under the watchful eye of CCTV at all times.

"...they turned out to have been disabled in my son's room for quite some time," Graves admitted, his expression hinting at a bit of uncharacteristic frustration. Gerald raised an eyebrow.

"Disabled like the cameras in my laboratory when Shadow was nearly killed in his sleep, Commander?" _And when he claimed that Vincent had tried to murder him? _He added silently. "It seems that the culprit in both would have been the same. That, or the person responsible for attempting to kill Project Shadow also for some reason would like your son's room unwatched...is your son any good with computers, I wonder?" he suggested, loud enough that even the soldiers surrounding them would have been able to make the connection. Graves' lips set in a line so thin it could have been a razor blade.

"I don't have time for speculations, Robotnik. My son also claimed that he defended himself, and shot your creature twice. If the wounds on his body confirm this, this investigation is over before it has begun. Move aside."

"Vincent _shot_ Shadow?" Maria gasped, her hand going to her mouth. "But he can't have, Shadow and me were-" she stopped herself, not only because she remembered she couldn't very well say that she had once again taken the million-dollar experiment to watch some increasingly cringe-worthy crud movies, but also because she suddenly was very distinctly aware of the fact that she had fallen asleep rather early and when she had woken up, Shadow hadn't been there...

"...I mean, I was keeping up with him until it was rather late. He didn't leave," she said quietly, wondering what the actual punishment for false testimony could be.

"Fine. I still want to see the hedgehog. Soldier, take the girl away and you open the door, Robotnik, or else we will shoot it down. "

"And destroy more priceless equipment, no doubt," Gerald muttered, but still turned around to punch in the code that would open the door. Out of the corner of his eye, he noted a small smear on the number pad, that looked just like dried blood. His stomach clenched.

If Graves spoke the truth – if Shadow really had gone on a rampage of revenge last night and then come stumbling back here, hurt – then nothing could save him now. His wounds would give him away.

"Shadow? It's me, are you awake?" the old man called as the door unlocked and began to glide to the side. Behind it, the laboratory lay in darkness save for a faintly greenish glow...

Gerald briefly froze in shock, but fortunately, none of the soldiers behind him had been able to see his surprised face as his eyes fell onto the scene in the lab.

"Project Shadow? I demand you show yourself-" Graves' voice rose, the grey-haired Commander pushing the elderly scientist to the side, his own weapon uncocked. As soon as he had stepped past Gerald, though, he, too, paused. "What...?" He turned around.

"Robotnik, since when did you keep him in an _aquarium_?"

But before Gerald could even reply, crimson eyes had already opened and the Ultimate Lifeform's voice, so familiarly distorted through the air mask he was wearing as he floated inside the glass column filled with the green liquid, greeted them.

"Good Morning, Professor. Can you tell me what the Commander is doing in the laboratory?"

Gerald blinked. His mind was already racing as he stared at his creation for one, two heartbeats, suspended in the Nanite fluid like he had been only a few weeks ago. He wasn't wearing anything but his power rings, his shoes neatly discarded next to the glass container, of his gloves no trace.

And there was also no trace of even a single wound on his body, a fact that had to have become increasingly obvious to Graves by now...

Gerald cleared his throat. "He seems to be under the impression that you attacked his son last night, Shadow," he said, his voice carefully neutral. "Apparently, the boy is now in hospital."

"...in mortal danger?" Shadow asked, and the old scientist wondered whether Graves also noticed the faint tone of hopefulness here. The Commander stepped forward, his voice raised again.

"He will survive, of that I had the medics make sure. But he says it was _you_ who got him there," he accused, glaring at the hedgehog in front of him who crossed his arms at his approach. "What the hell are you doing in there?"

"An experiment to test my endurance when suspended under water," Shadow replied glibly before Gerald could. "I have been in here all night."

"Is that true?" the commander's head snapped around to the older Robotnik again, still pointing at the immersed hedgehog. Shadow was glad that when he had slipped into the tube after initiating the programm to fill and seal it, he hadn't bothered to attach the sensors monitoring his pulse and blood pressure, because right now his nervousness surely would have been visible on the monitors, even if he had perfected the art of keeping his emotions from showing up on his face by now. If Gerald told Graves the truth right now...

"Yes," the older scientist said. "That is why I find your son's claim rather improbable, if I may say so. What else was it he said?"

"...that there had been a brawl and he had hurt the hedgehog," Graves stated, sounding reluctant now.

"Yet strangely enough there is not a single scratch on Shadow's body," the old scientist mused, stroking his moustache in a way that would have reminded most of the people on the planet below rather of Gerald's much more infamous grandson. "I dare say that casts some doubt on Vincent's testimony."

"The room was almost completely destroyed," Graves snarled. "He couldn't possibly have done this by himself. There have been explosions and fire damage that we can't explain otherwise - they looked much more like the traces of your hedgehog's energy attacks than anything else."

"If this was the result of Chaos Energy, then there should be residual resonance within the room," Gerald replied serenely. "If you want to, you may use this Chaos Detector I engineered to see whether that is the case," he said, at the same time opening a cupboard and retrieving something box-shaped with various gadgets attached. He held it out to Graves. "This device is able to extrapolate prior emissions of Chaos Energy quanta based on contemporary analysis of surrounding surface structure." When the Commander did not reply immediately, he added: "It goes _ding_ when there's stuff."

Bichromatic eyes narrowed dangerously.

"Are you trying to make fun of me, Robotnik?"

Gerald shook his head and crossed his arms. "No. However, I am not especially pleased to be woken up at four in the morning only for you to accuse Shadow of an attack for which you seem to have no proof whatsoever besides your troubled son's half-conscious testimony, and scare Maria almost to death. Now I am loaning you highly sensitive equipment just so you can be absolutely sure Shadow had nothing to do with this and still there seems to be a lack of at least basic politeness. Frankly, I have had better mornings."

"So have most of us, Robotnik," Graves replied darkly, glowering at the smaller man. "There will be an investigation, you can be sure of it."

"Feel free to do whatever you like, just return the Chaos Detector in one piece, please. No fiddling around with it."

"Squad. Stand down. Retreat," the grey-haired soldier ordered toward the younger men still standing in the door and then he also turned around, his imperious figure about to leave, a black silhouette in the doorway. "If I catch so much as a toe of your hedgehog outside of this laboratory, I will have him shot."

"Undoubtedly. To use the Chaos Detector, by the way, just point it at the destroyed things in the room. I'm sure even your subordinates can figure that out."

"You should figure out what kind of headway you can make on that Eclipse Cannon of yours, Robotnik. Because if I find your creature ran rampant aboard my space colony, you are going to need it."

And with that, the door slid shut behind him, leaving only Gerald, a suddenly very awkward Shadow, and silence in the lab.

"Professor..." the black hedgehog tried to open the conversation, but the old man held up a hand.

"Wait. Before we start this, we might as well get you out of there. I admit I am impressed you even managed to get yourself _in_ there single-handedly," the scientist said, at the same time entering the codes on the console that would let the nanite fluid drain and lower the cylinder into the floor again so Shadow could step out. The Ultimate Lifeform removed his breathing mask as the liquid levels sank below his jaw line.

"Getting in there was easy. I just hit the buttons and zipped onto the pedestal before the cylinder had emerged from the floor."

Gerald raised an eye brow. "To do that, you would have had to move near sonic speed," he said, but immediately realized that this probably had been a very redundant statement as he saw his hedgehog's sudden small very self-satisfied grin. "...I see."

The grin vanished, though, when Shadow tried to speak again, licking over his nanite-drenched lips and looking rather troubled.

"Um, professor..."

"Yes?"

"What...if they find something with this Chaos Detector in Vincent's room?"

"Would they?" Gerald asked, his face expressionless as he stared with eyes unreadable behind dark glasses at Shadow. The black hedgehog felt something clench inside him, his bare feet finally touching the ground inside the tube as the last of the water receded, and the cylinder began to lower itself into the floor with a hiss. He stood in the middle of the laboratory now, bare but for his rings and wet fur clinging to his skin, but the only thing that made him shiver was the stare of his creator now, that question hanging in the air asking Shadow whether he had gone against every principle Maria or this man who was practically his father, had ever taught him. The Ultimate Lifeform suddenly found his throat was much too dry to speak. Finally, Gerald sighed. "The question is moot. Of course, I already know they won't find anything, " he said, and once again, Shadow felt as if his throat was tied up with a piece of string, as the old scientist apparently couldn't even begin to conceive what deeds his creation had aspired to last night. He raised his hand as he tried to speak, but Gerald continued his sentence before Shadow had a chance.

The scientist looked to the side. "...mostly because I didn't give them a Chaos Detector but a Geiger counter I built for an engineering competition back in sixth grade."

_Wait, *what*?_

"Professor?" Shadow asked, a bit confused. The human threw him a towel.

"I am anything but dumb, Shadow," he said, his old voice rasping. "Graves said Vincent had wounded you. Today I find you soaking in nanite solution which managed to repair your _arm _only two months ago, unscheduled. I can put two and two together, and in this case, even one of Graves' military monkeys could have done, if they only had the faintest clue about the regenerative abilities of that fluid."

Shadow didn't say anything, having quickly dried himself and was now left staring at the floor. He didn't know what to reply. The tone of his creator was not a happy one, and Shadow could guess why. The black hedgehog was unafraid of the most dangerous battles, but somehow, this was a very different kind of anxiety he was suddenly feeling...

"Professor..." he tried to speak again, but when he finally looked up, he could already see the old man straight in front of him, piercing blue eyes staring straight into his own even through the dark glasses.

"Shadow, I want you to tell me _everything_ that happened tonight."

The Ultimate Lifeform swallowed. Somehow, even if he had just escaped the military execution squad, what was about to come for some reason felt as if it could be even worse.

_To be continued..._

_

* * *

_Hi there! Ye gods, I can't believe I last updated this thing in JULY. O.o The next update will be here quicker, especially since I'm working right now on my christmas fanfic schedule for your guys. :P Hope you liked this installment although I wonder whether Vincent would receive a lot of get-well-soon mail from you.^^° Now please stay tuned for the next chapter when not everyone might be able to deal with Shadow's way of handling things and an even greater desaster looms on the horizon now... and if you read, please review? ;)


	46. Invasion!

**Chapter 41: Invasion**

It had been a dark night aboard the ARK, and in the eternal blackness between the stars there was no sunrise when the morning came.

"No." Maria's voice was toneless, just as her face appeared curiously vacant, like a young animal that had been shot but hadn't quite realized yet it was dead. Shadow thought that just looking at her right now was more painful than any of the injuries Vincent had caused him.

"Yes," he confirmed. "I'm..." he paused.

He couldn't say he was sorry, because that would be a lie.

"I'm...I never wanted to hurt you..." he tried, his stomach twisting into painful knots that almost made it impossible to think clearly. They sat in the laboratory now, he, Gerald and Maria, and Shadow had just spent the last quarter of an hour recounting his battle with the Commander's son, and how it had left both of them bleeding, but alive. He had briefly considered lying to Maria, telling her that he hadn't wanted to kill but only to hurt him, but a part of him screamed in pain at the thought of ever deceiving the only friend he had. So he had told both of them everything exactly as it had happened...

Gerald was staring into the darkness outside, not saying a word, his figure sunken into himself. But Maria was still looking at him with disbelieving eyes, their expression that of a swimmer who was drowning...

"Shadow, I can't – I _told_ you not to – you honestly would have-?" she tried and still failed to put it in words what her mind refused to believe. Shadow lowered his gaze to the floor.

"I was created as a weapon, Maria. I was trained to murder."

"But that doesn't mean you _have_ to!" she suddenly yelled, her flat hand slapping against the floor on which she knelt, a spark of that passion with which she had always fought against any injustice and moral wrong she had encountered creeping back into her demeanour. "Grandpa made you to save lives and your decisions are your own! That is what it means to be sapient, Shadow!"

"He wronged me," Shadow defended himself. "And I repayed him in kind. If I hadn't, he would have thought he could just try to kill me again - and maybe he would have succeeded the next time! Or the next!" he shouted, his voice more carried by the hurt and fear he felt at the thought of Maria abandoning him than any real anger. The blonde girl threw herself forward into the face of the hedgehog sitting cross-legged on the floor.

"And maybe he never would have! Or we would have caught him! Killing, no matter where or why or when, is _wrong_. You can't just take justice into your own hands, Shadow," she said, breathing deeply and her usually so gentle eyes dark and warning and serious. Crimson ones stared back without blinking.

"GUN has power and GUN does. And their power makes them right."

"In a world where power equals legitimacy, life is hell. You are not GUN."

Shadow sat back and in the next question, pronounced clearly every word.

"And what if I want to be?"

Maria stood up. She closed her eyes and if her hands hadn't been clenched so hard, they would have been trembling. "Then you are no longer my friend."

And with that, she turned and walked away. Gerald saw Shadow's expression during that second and couldn't help but wonder whether if any sensors had still been attached to the hedgehog's chest, they might have picked up the sound of an artificial heart breaking.

OoO

"Damn," Sonic winced. "That must have been bad."

Shadow looked to the side, briefly interlacing his fingers on his lap. "'Bad' would be an understatement. I was devastated."

"But..." the blue hedgehog drew a grimace. "It...it just doesn't seem fair. I dunno - I don't think killing that guy is right, but it also wasn't fair of her to just...dump you like that. Even if..." he put a hand to his forehead and sighed. "Chaos, I don't know. He tried to kill you and you tried to kill him and I have no idea whether to side with you or Maria on the issue. This entire thing is making my head hurt."

Shadow shook his head. "That is the thing with death, Sonic. It is often swift, it is always final, and it is never, _ever_ 'just'. And often it contaminates everything it comes into contact with, until no-one can tell what's wrong or right anymore." He once again lifted his arm and glanced at it, twisting it in the twilight as if looking for an answer etched into his fur. "Killers should never have friends for that exact same reason."

"But..." Sonic paused. "So far, you haven't yet killed anyone intentionally in the story. And I thought...you helped me, so...couldn't we be - friends?"

The black hedgehog let his arm sink again and looked back at Sonic. For the first time since young Shadow had returned from the disaster in Vincent Graves' room, there was actually a ghost of a smile on the Ultimate Lifeform's lips.

_Sonic the Hedgehog was returning to life... _

xxx

"Commander Graves says he has no idea what the hell you've done to that thing, but he says you better fix it, or else he's gonna have him killed."

Shadow was pushed forward into the laboratory by the young soldier who had also delivered the message. The hedgehog stumbled but caught himself, yet never raised his gaze from the floor. Gerald ran a hand across his pained face.

"Please," he said, "This is...difficult. I can't just 'fix' it. Can't you just give him a break?"

"Sorry, don't think so," the young soldier shrugged. "Graves wants him to train, so he'll train, but if you don't get him to fight back properly again, he's gonna die in the arena anyways," he informed the elderly scientist laconically, before promptly turning around and leaving, the door sliding shut with its usual swishing sound. Gerald sat down in his chair heavily.

"Shadow, it has been two weeks. You can't go on like this."

The black hedgehog stared at the floor, his face hidden in shadow. "I don't care."

"You've done something wrong, yes, and I am not pretending yours wasn't a grave mistake. But no-one is beyond redemption and you dying won't do anything except to cause more grief."

"Who would grieve for me?" Shadow asked tonelessly, blinking. "Vincent was right from the start. If I wasn't born a monster I've become one now."

"If that was the case, you wouldn't regret."

"But that is the _problem_," Shadow clenched his fists, "I do not regret trying to kill him. It's only because Maria hates me that I want to die right now," he said, squeezing his eyes shut as if in pain. When he spoke next, it almost sounded to Gerald as if a much younger Shadow was asking the question, and it was nearly too quiet to be heard.

"Professor, do you wish you had never created me? Would you rather...end your experiment right now before it gets worse?"

Gerald rose from his seat.

"Shadow," he said, looking down at the lone hedgehog, roughed up from his fights in the arena where he hadn't even tried to defend himself anymore, and now wasn't even able to meet his gaze. Did Shadow really think Gerald wished he had never existed...?

Crimson eyes opened wide as suddenly, the Ultimate Lifeform could feel two old arms encircling him in a hug he had never received from his creator before. For a moment, the black hedgehog was simply speechless.

"Shadow," Gerald repeated, still holding the suddenly limp form in his embrace, "I won't ever abandon you," he said, his voice aged, but steady and utterly sincere. "You are my experiment and thus, I am always also responsible for your actions. You're..." he paused. "You're not the first of my _creations _to turn to violence because you are disappointed with the world..." He trailed off, as if lost in painful memories, but then began speaking once again. "I abandoned one of my progeny already. I will not make the same mistake again. I will never leave you alone, Shadow."

"Professor..." the hedgehog tried to reply, but couldn't. Something was clogging up his throat and he was unable to speak. Gerald, too, as he was unable to block out from his mind's eye those images of his illegitimate grandson Ivo Robotnik, who was as unrelenting in his rage as he was terrifying. The elderly scientist trembled inwardly at the thought of the consequences if a vengeful Shadow decided to wage war on the world as well in his pain...

"Maria very dearly loves you, Shadow, even now. That is the only reason why your actions hurt her so much. She cries nearly every night."

"I would do anything to make her stop," the black hedgehog replied unhappily, finally released from the embrace and looking at his shoes. "But how? I can't even tell her truthfully that I wouldn't still want to kill Vincent..."

"Then promise her you won't take justice into your own hands anymore instead. I know she will appreciate that. You need to talk to her. Everything else might just be a matter of time," the scientist tried to assure the hedgehog. "I need to leave now and repair a Chaos transistor on the engine deck but I believe Maria is asleep in her room. I suggest you wait here in the laboratory, try to think about what you can say to her and when you're ready, go and visit her when nobody's around. You're both intelligent and you love each other. I'm sure you can work this out."

"...all right." Shadow inclined his head. "I will try."

"Good," Gerald rose and nodded, beginning to collect a few tools. "By the way, the commission has declared the investigation of the incident involving you and Vincent officially closed. They believe the computer must have blown up and caused the sprinklers to start and the son of the Commander had a nightmare. It was clever of you to dissolve your bloody gloves with the sulfuric acid, by the way," the old scientist added, his tone almost laced with a bit of the old humour Shadow knew he used to have. The black hedgehog nodded.

"Thanks. I also cleaned the laboratory back then. I had hoped I wouldn't leave any evidence."

"Yes, I'm sure I should be thrilled to have been the creator of another criminal genius," Gerald replied dryly, before finally zipping up his tool kit and laptop bag, preparing to leave. "Good luck with Maria," he said before stepping outside, once again leaving Shadow alone in the twilight between the machines, their humming now the only advice he was likely to receive.

xxx

"Maria?" Shadow was knocking at the door to his formerly best friend's room, feeling his heart pounding as loudly as his knuckles on the steel surface. He had taken nearly half an hour after his creator had left the laboratory to work up the courage to go to confront her again and even now he wasn't quite sure what to say – except that he would do anything for her to take him back. The moment he had called out her name, there was the sound of glass shattering within the room, as if someone had just dropped something. Shadow had inwardly counted to five before the answer came.

"Shadow?" it was her voice, no doubt, but it sounded strange – like someone who couldn't decide whether to be hopeful or angry.

"Yes, it's me," he confirmed, licking his lips. "Can I come in?"

There was another pause, but then the black hedgehog felt as if a stone had just dropped off his heart when his ears picked up the sound of the keys for the door being pressed from inside. Only seconds after, the metal slid to the side and he looked his friend into the eyes for the first time ever since that fateful night a fortnight ago.

"You better come inside," Maria said as greeting, "If the Commander's soldiers caught you out in the corridors now, we would have a problem."

Shadow acknowledged her words with a nod, knowing full well Graves had tightened his prisoner/experiment status and restrictions that technically confined him to the lab and the arena even more last week. Of course, Shadow had never paid it much heed; it also helped that by now he had excellent detection and evasion skills when it came to dodging the patrols and that Maria's room was nearly adjacent to Gerald's main lab.

The blonde girl turned around and walked back into her room, enabling Shadow to cross the threshold and close the door again. A quick glance at her desk and bed cluttered with books, papers and an assortment of glass tubes and bottles filled with liquids and granules as well as various measuring instruments revealed that she had been hard at work during those last two weeks; Shadow could also detect a faint Chaos aura emanating from the mess, suggesting she was once more experimenting with Chaos crystal. She picked up a small broom and shovel from a corner and began sweeping up the shards of the test tube she had dropped when he had knocked.

"How are you doing?" the Ultimate Lifeform tried to start the conversation, still unsure what tactic he wanted to pursue. Maria straightened up, her face carefully composed.

"I'm fine," she said, dropping the glass into the trash can. "Grandfather says my system is taking really well to the latest immune strains he injected me with. If the therapy continues like this, we might be able to start to set up a timetable when we can finally return to Earth."

"Oh," Shadow managed what was perhaps his first smile for two weeks, "That's-"

"And Vincent's due to be released from hospital any day now."

"-great," Shadow finished, his previous tone of enthusiasm curiously dampened now. Maria finally put the dustpan away and now faced the Ultimate Lifeform fully, crossing her arms.

"So why did you come here?"

"I..." Shadow started, then had to pause as if struggling with his answer. Finally, black ears folded back against his head, and crimson eyes dropped to the floor. "Maria...I don't want you to hate me anymore."

"Oh, Shadow..." the girl replied, her face drawn into an unhappy grimace. "I don't hate you. But I..." she took a breath. "I simply can't call somebody my friend who would murder. That is wrong, Shadow, so wrong, can't you see it?"

Gloved fists clenched as Shadow stared at the floor, hard.

Because, the truth was, he couldn't.

"I'm...not a killer, Maria," he said at last and at least this much was true. Shadow knew he had been created a weapon of mass destruction, and accepted that long ago, but he had also decided that this meant in no way that he _had_ to kill. The reason for his existence was to heal Maria.

"I don't ever enjoy taking a life," he continued and that also wasn't a lie. The way he had been introduced to death – the blood-red memory of that cursed night more than two years ago when he had been strapped to a laboratory table and Chaos energy had been pumped into him relentlessly, ultimately unleashing a blast that had killed six people – had made sure he wouldn't.

"Murdering is never my first resort," he stated next, also entirely truthfully. He knew he wasn't scared or traumatized of executing a living being anymore, as had the fight against his supposed successor and clone UL2/25 proven. Afterwards, when he had stood above the lifeless corpse of the other hedgehog, he had felt triumph, but no guilt. Shadow knew he loved power, but he also remembered that he had tried to talk to the other first – and had only gone after Vincent when the teenager had tried to kill him first. Shadow took a deep breath as he prepared the sentence that came hardest of them all. It was his last resort, his last chance, and if Maria did not accept him after that, he would have lost her forever. His voice, now having lost any last traces of his earlier, child-like tones, was quiet, but low and steady.

"But I can kill, and if necessary to defend my life or the lives of the ones I love, I will, Maria – but I never want to do anything that makes you unhappy."

He finally looked up after he had said this, and dared to make eye-contact again. His best friend stood in the middle of the room, still, and in her eyes there were tears glistening. She covered her face with a single hand.

"Oh Shadow, can't you see? You haven't understood _anything_...and that's simply not enough."

A little sob escaped her mouth, but for Shadow it could as well have been a gun shot. He felt a vice of cold steel clamp shut over his heart, even while Maria still stood in front of him, crying.

"If – if only you had said you were _sorry _you tried to kill a sentient..." she whispered, but the Ultimate Lifeform couldn't even hear her. Shadow was still staring at nothing, not even seeing anything outside of the dark tunnel his life suddenly seemed to have become.

"Shadow – please, g-" Maria started to say more audibly, but she never even got to finish her sentence. The door exploded first.

"SCREEEEEE!"

It was an inhuman screech that accompanied the explosion, the metal bursting through its frame and crashing into the room as it was hit with steel-wrenching force from outside. Maria screamed as the distorted hunk only missed her by inches when it thudded onto the floor, the blonde girl stumbling backwards into a wall. Shadow had dropped into a fighting stance immediately, reflexes not caring about the surreality of the situation, but what then pressed its bulk through the torn opening was enough to even let the Ultimate Lifeform freeze up briefly in shock.

It was...blue.

At first, it seemed more like a wave of water had suddenly grown sentient, the cyan, amorphous mass flooding through the twisted doorframe as if the Deluge of legends had suddenly come aboard the ARK after all.

"What-?" Maria's hands had flown over her mouth as the youngest of the Robotnik family stared just as wide-eyed as her black-furred companion. But then the gel-like substance began to reform and suddenly they began to recognize it...

Its eyes were as green and glowing as toxic waste. Its skull was robotic, looking like the cone head of a bonefish stripped of its skin with added horns akin a capricorn, three spine-like protrusions descending down into the gel from its base. And its body was a perfectly round, blue and translucent floating sphere, right up to the point until its tentacles shot out straight at Maria.

"_It's Artificial Chaos!"_

OoO

"Artificial whatnow?"

"Artificial Chaos, Sonic," Shadow pinched the skin above his nose. "A security programme onboard the ARK gone terribly wrong - only we didn't know it at that time."

"Yet _another_ experiment that didn't come out as planned?" Sonic raised an eye ridge. "You know, by now I'm starting to wonder whether anything up there ever actually went _right_ for a change."

"Shut up."

OoO

Maria had screamed its name even as the tentacles were lashing out towards her. Shadow reacted even faster, immediately leaping forwards and shredding the attacking limbs with a well-timed air-spin. He landed in front of Maria in a battle stance, quills raised, teeth bared and emerald fire crackling in his hands, blazing crimson eyes promising oblivion to any creature who tried to harm a single hair on the girl standing behind him.

"Maria! Behind the bed!" he shouted, disregarding the fact that she had all but banished him from her room not five minutes ago. If Shadow knew anything in the world at all, it was that he loved her no matter what else and would protect her until the very end. Maria fortunately reacted quickly; wasting no time going 'What?' or 'I'm scared!' but instead immediately diving behind the furniture as she had been instructed while the Ultimate Lifeform launched himself at the alien creature.

"_Chaos Spear!"_ he yelled, throwing one of the lightning projectiles even as he hurled himself toward his target, the translucent blob giving another eldritch screech as the Spear hit its skull, the energy crackling across its liquid body. Tentacles shot out wildly in the agony the creature was in, one of the erratic, flailing limbs actually hitting Shadow straight in the head, knocking him out of his flight path into the wall. The impact felt as if somebody had taken a wrecking ball to his head and the Ultimate Lifeform tasted blood in his mouth.

_Damn...it-! _

With gritted teeth and a headache that felt like it would split his brain at its seam, Shadow forced his body to upright himself, immediately blinking and trying to discern where the next attack would come from.

What he saw nearly let his heart stop.

"_Maria!_"

Instead of focusing on finishing him, the Artificial Chaos creature had now turned on the other, easier prey in the room – and was closing in on the bed behind which his best friend was pressed against the wall with wide, frightened eyes.

"NO!"

Shadow's scream was hoarse, but his reaction time not delayed in the least despite the blow he had taken. Again blazing jet shoes propelled him into the air, the black hedgehog curling in on himself and shooting at the monster in a homing attack.

He passed right through it.

"What-?" Shadow had landed on the bed instead, blobs of the sky-blue gel-like substance still clinging to his fur and quills, slowly glooping downwards. Artificial Chaos seemed barely disturbed, the hole Shadow had made through his amorphous body closing right up again with a wet sound. Shadow's eyes narrowed. Standing on the bed between them, with barely two metres separating the monster and Maria now, if he screwed up the next attack, she would die.

Chaos screeched...

"Shadow!" Maria called from behind the bed, "Don't use your Chaos Powers, use physical attacks! And if the body doesn't work you've got to attack the-!"

"I _know_!" Shadow shouted back. Focusing on Chaos again, he finally screamed, and, with power born from desperation, leapt straight into its face and delivered a blazing kick that knocked the creature straight across the room and into the opposite wall. In a _Wizard of Oz_-esque scene, its body dissolved the moment its head hit the metal and the lights of its eyes went out, plasma seeping across the floor like blood. The metal-like skull _clink_ed against the metal ground.

Shadow dropped back onto the bed again, and was glad his knees only hit the mattress when his legs buckled underneath him.

The eyes. If countless hours spent playing video games with Maria had taught him anything, it was that it was _always_ the eye.

"Shadow! Are you okay?" Maria was immediately at his side, having scrambled on top of the bed and grasped his shoulder, her blue eyes empty of all that had stood between them only moments ago, now only filled with concern for the hedgehog that was basically her younger brother. Shadow wiped the back of his hand across his mouth, spitting out saliva mixed with blood.

"...yeah. I'm fine." He paused. "I only hit my head, nothing vital."

"...what?" The girl kneeling on the bed in front of him asked, briefly blinking, but then her the edge of her mouth twitched ever so slightly as she suddenly became aware that he had actually made a _joke_ (no matter how poor) and then, all at once, the black hedgehog was overwhelmed by the taller girl as she threw her arms around him in one of the fiercest hugs he could remember.

"Don't _ever_ scare me like that again!"

"How – how was any of that my fault_?_!" the Ultimate Lifeform stuttered, now wide-eyed himself, but hugging back instinctively, feeling how the arms of his friend threaded themselves through his razor-sharp quills on his back with the expert ease of long practice and familiarity. "Maria, _I _was the one scared for you."

"I know." The blonde girl sighed, finally dislodging herself from him and sitting back. "You saved me. Thank you."

"Does...does that mean...?" Shadow started to ask, not daring to voice the question fully, but the hopeful expression in his eyes must have been clue enough. Her hands clasped the cloth of her dress on her knees as she obviously tried to compose herself.

"I..." she took a breath. "I still can't condone murder, Shadow, not for any reason. But..." her lips briefly pressed together as she held his gaze. "I know now that you're still the most important thing in the world to me. When Articicial Chaos smashed you into the wall, I...it felt as if it had hit _me,_" she said, leaning forwards for emphasis. "And if you hadn't put yourself in danger for me just now, I would have..." a brief, sardonic smile flit across her lips. "I would have died slightly later than I would have if you hadn't spent your entire life already as a willing experiment to stabilize my condition and cure my illness, I guess."

"Maria, I-"

"Have I been selfish, Shadow?"

"What?" the black hedgehog blinked, his demeanour now taking on the first traces of the air of a cornered animal. He had been in a familiar situation when the freak blob had tried to break his neck, he had no idea what to say or do now.

"I said I never wanted to see you again because you didn't feel regret that you killed that other hedgehog or attempted to murder Vincent. But I...I had never realized what it's like to suddenly have to fight for your own life..." she bit her lip. "Maybe I owe you an apology."

"..."

Shadow didn't say anything. His heart was pounding faster than in the fight before. Could she forgive him? Was she going to take him back?

"I'm sorry, Shadow. I shouldn't have judged you so harshly."

"...it's okay, Maria. I know I'm not the nicest person around, but the only thing I ever wanted was for you to be happy. _I'm_ sorry if I messed that up."

There was another hug and this one with tears, but this time, both friends were finally smiling.

"But where does that leave us?" Shadow asked. "I mean, what you say still is valid..."

"I think I know now that just because you don't feel regret you don't have to be a bad person. It's...different when you've nearly been killed by someone, I understood that now," she said slowly. "But you have to promise me to never kill or hurt anything or anyone for reasons other than immediate self-defence – and that includes no revenge, Shadow. Because the only thing that means is tears and pain and an endless cycle of violence. Promise me that, Shadow."

"Alright." Shadow closed his eyes. "I promise you - no revenge."

"Thank you," Maria said and, for the first time ever since they had parted, smiled at him just like she had through all those years.

OoO

"Wow. You gave up your revenge scheming just like that?"

"Not quite. Maria had expressly permitted self-defence, so at that moment I was basically hoping that next time, Vincent would be charging at me with a knife he could conveniently stumble into."

OoO

"Okay," Shadow breathed out, feeling tension easing its way out of his system. Their conversation had not lasted longer than two minutes, but for him it had made a world of difference. "Now what are you going to do about that...thing. How did it even get _in_ here?" he asked next, swinging his legs off the bed and stalking cautiously closer to the seeping plasma, the lifeless, detached skull lying in the middle of it. Maria got off the other side of the bed and approached closer as well.

"I don't know. And come to think of it – Shadow, why didn't anyone come to _help_?" she suddenly asked, looking at him, spooked. "There should have been soldiers or, or _anyone _here in seconds after the crash and our screams-"

As if to answer her words, suddenly, there was a sound of gunfire, a scream, and then the pounding of running boots began to emanate in the distance, rapidly drawing closer. Shadow took a step backwards, eyes alight with wariness immediately.

And then he did entirely the wrong thing, which was stepping into one of the many thin trails of Chaos' blood on the floor.

"Aah!" Shadow called out as suddenly, the Chaos inside him was sucked out through the sole of his foot, and with a horrific screech, the eyes in the creature's skull lit up again like holes into a toxic furnace, its body reforming into its former deadly shape within seconds.

"Maria! Get aw-!" he shouted, but was hit in the face by a tentacle before he could even utter an entire sentence. The limb pressed him into a corner of the room as he fought to break free, but the alien skull had already swivelled around on the spherical body to focus again on the youngest Robotnik, who tried to retreat until her back hit the wall.

"N-N-!" Shadow tried to scream but was muffled as the gel-like appendage pressed itself onto his face and was nearly suffocating him, even if he could still see the scene of horror in the room through a distorted, blue screen, the alien's body translucent.

"Ma-!"

"GET AWAY FROM HER YOU BASTARD!"

Another gun shot cracked through the air like a bull whip and a bullet exploded straight into the skull of the monster. There was no scream, but the head simply burst apart like a cracked egg, the body again dissolving into liquid instantly as soon as there was no brain to control it anymore. Grey and white bits floated in the puddle at their feet.

"Did it hurt you, kid?"

Before Shadow could even move from his spot in the corner, a young GUN soldier had already stormed through the door, a rifle clutched tightly in his hands. His dark uniform was torn and drenched with the strange blue liquid, sweat, and darker patches that Shadow could already guess where they came from. Now he was giving a momentarily overtaxed Maria a curt once-over, checking to see whether she had come to any harm.

"Damn, you were lucky I just made it here. You that guy Robotnik's girl, right?" he asked, briefly wiping over his face. He was a short, but well-built Asian male, perhaps in his early twenties. "That was my last bullet, too. Now just keep it together, because I have to get you to-"

Shadow stepped forward and the man immediately whirled around at the splash his shoe made in the water. The kind expression on his face was gone in fractions of a second, his rifle levelled at Shadow with literal gun-point precision.

"The hell_?_! Stay back, freak, or you're dead!" he shouted.

Shadow was distinctly non-impressed. "Yeah. Right."

"Wha-?" The soldier's eyes widened even if he didn't move. Shadow crossed his arms and gave the human his general 'You're-an-idiot' stare. "You just said your cartridge was _empty_, you moron. What are you gonna do, throw it at my face?"

The rifle dropped to floor.

"What the fuck, you _talk_!"

And even counting the screeches of Chaos, Shadow still had to admit that this was the most redundant thing he had heard all day.

xxx

"No, please believe me, Shadow isn't 'at large', and he's not some sort of dangerous monster. He's here because he is my _friend _ and even before you came, he saved me. He's not some animal but just a Sapient hedgehog like tens of thousands on Earth," Maria was explaining a few moments later to the young GUN constable, Shadow standing with crossed arms at the side of the door, black ears twitching as he tried to pick up anything else from outside as he still had no idea what was going on. There seemed to be...faint sounds of fighting in the distance...

"Huh. Right. GUN command told us a different story, but it seems like what you're saying is actually the truth, if he's anything to go by," the man replied, again shooting another glance at the broody black hedgehog by the door. "I dunno why they wanted us to believe he's some feral killer, though..."

"Doesn't matter. What is happening? Where did that thing come from?" Shadow interrupted the not very flattering conversation, and the soldier's face immediately turned grim.

"Nobody gave us any real information, but they must have broken out from somewhere, maybe from the engine deck. It's some freak experiments of Robotniks or some of them other scientists, they said and now they're invading the ARK," the young man explained hoarsely. "We're supposed to kill them or drive them back and protect the civilians, but there's simply _too many_ and they're _everywh-"_

As if to illustrate his words, it was at this point that another Artificial Chaos burst right through the door opposite to theirs and into the corridor outside.

"What the – _didn't anybody think to secure the door?_!" Maria yelled, rearing backwards in shock.

The tentacles hit the man in the back with enough force to crush him into Maria's writing desk, test tubes, Chaos Chrystals, and glass containers splintering like rain. The soldier's head was smashed against the metal frame, and his form slumped down instantly like a marionette whose frame had been broken. The creature screamed like its dead sibling, glowing eyes focusing on the two friends still standing, ready to continue its rampage, but this time, Shadow was prepared.

"Right," he snarled, "this thing's outta bullets," - he grabbed the rifle from the floor - "but I don't need one to kill you. HERE I COME!" he shouted, letting the creature's attention focus on him for a second – and then it was already too late. The butt of the rifle impacted on the centre of its skull, fracturing the bone structure with the sound of a baseball bat hitting a bag of cornflakes. Within moments, the Artificial Chaos dissolved instantly akin its predecessor, their cyan blood mingling on the floor. Shadow dropped down into the puddle heavily, the gel-like substance splashing up onto his shoes, and Maria noticed the rifle in his hand was now bent out of shape.

"Dammit," the black hedgehog panted, shooting a glance at the soldier and then at the open doorway. "We can't stay here. And we have no idea where to go." His hand clenched around the ruined weapon briefly, having seen how much more effective it had been in the hands of the soldier against the creature than his Chaos Spears. He saw Maria kneeling next to the fallen soldier, checking his vitals. "How is he?" he asked.

"Stable," Maria replied curtly, examining the unconscious young man with the precise movements of someone who had learned everything there was to know about first aid simply because she herself could die in the simplest of accidents. "He'll live. But we can't leave him here."

"No, of course we can't," Shadow growled under his breath. "But we need to know where we have to _go_ first. He said they had already invaded the entire ARK."

"Well, we already know where _not_ to go," Maria pointed out. "He also said they apparently have come from the engine d – oh no." Her face suddenly turned deathly pale, and when she looked at Shadow, there was horror in her eyes.

"Shadow, _grandpa_ went to the engine deck."

X-X

"Wow, cheapest plot twist of all time."

"This is the game adaption now, so be quiet."

"Yeah, I know. Cheapest _video game_ of all time."

X-X

Shadow could feel his heart seize up. His creator. He had been down there for an entire hour now. Would he have been able to hide? Shadow didn't know, he had only been in the machine room once during one of his midnight trips and remembered it to be very dark, very large and very scary...especially since he had only been two at the time.

_And now I have to return there, and I'm nearly five. Great._

"Two doors from here is grandpa's super security storage room. If we lock him in there he should be safe and we can leave," Maria interrupted his stroll down memory lane, the teenager currently stuffing a small backpack with the spilled Chaos crystals she had synthesized and the Drives scattered across the floor. After briefly hesitating, she also grabbed two small gadgets from her desk drawer, and slung the pack across one slim shoulder, then looked back at Shadow.

"You have to help me carry him," she pointed out helpfully.

The Ultimate Lifeform blinked. "Right."

It was an easy task entering the code and depositing the unconscious soldier wrapped in a blanket on the floor of the lab, and Maria even wrote the security code on the door with a post-it; the door was extra steel-reinforced so no Chaos creatures would be able to get to the man, but humans who needed to get in there would be able to use the number pad, so the theory. Shadow took all this in while trying to listen for any sounds of attackers, but all he could hear was the creepy silence of an empty ARK, the faint sounds of warfare in the distance sometimes getting closer, sometimes dying down.

This was it. He would have to defend his home.

"Okay. Let's leave," Maria said, stepping up to him at the exit of the security lab. For the first time, Shadow stared at her in surprise.

"Wait, what? You're coming _with__?_!"

"Of course I am. He's my grandfather," she said, staring at him as if the thought of not going had never entered her mind.

"But..." Shadow tried to find the right words, "You're..."

_dying as it is,_ he wanted to say, but couldn't force the truth past his tongue.

"I'm what?" Maria smiled at him sympathetically as if she could read his mind, but then she shook her head and stepped into the arch of the open doorway beside him.

"I'm a _Robotnik_, Shadow," she answered her own question, and beneath her usually so gentle voice, Shadow wondered if he could detect an undertone of steel, as if the girl who was as beautiful and frail as a glass angel, suddenly had turned out to be cut from diamond. She turned toward him and the red light of the emergency sirens which had just started to howl cast a dark complexion across her face.

"And _nobody_ endangers our family without regretting it. "

Shadow looked at her with a frown. "And what about not killing or hurting living beings? I mean, only ten minutes ago-"

"I know." Maria looked grim. "I'm not happy about doing this. If any of the Chaos surrenders, we won't attack it. If there's anything we can do to prevent death, we will help. But this is my home, Shadow, and my family, and I won't let either of them be destroyed." She looked down at him. "If there's anything you taught me, it's that sometimes you have to take action. Together, we can do the right thing, Shadow."

The Ultimate Lifeform nodded, closing his eyes. "Then let's go."

And the pair of them set off, the warning flares in front of them making the floor to their feet a sea of red as in premonition.

_To be continued... _

* * *

Yes. Because one entire chapter of Shadow beating the stuffing out of stuff wasn't enough. :P And yup, speedy updates as part of my Christmas fanfic bonanza! Hope you appreciate it and no worries, I haven't forgotten about 'Burning Arrow' and Captain Jack Shadow either. ;) Meanwhile first actually christmas-_themed_ thing is up as well, for all you Who-fans. :P

Also, hands up, which one of you thought 'Invasion' was related to GUN-caused carnage...? ;)

Now, I know, in the game Maria as companion ends up being a complete and utter PAIN, and I'm not even going into her 'mutant eyes of terror'-inspired look. However, in here, things should hopefully turn out quite differently...XD I also have to admit being partly inspired for this by one awesome pic of Netraptor. Those of you who art Deviants should definitely check out 'Shadow and Maria PWNING' by her. :P (and her fanfic, while you're at it! XD)

Talking fanart, though...I present:

First up we have a wonderful comic illustrating one of the key scenes from last chapter by Siameze, expressions and dialogue spot-on! Then, if you remember the scene where Shadow is nearly killed during his first Chaos Blast, please check out 'After the Blast' by KezART, absolutely heart-wrenching piece and beautifully painted! Both links on my profile.^^ Thanks so much!

And now...they've got the Ultimate Lifeform as well as the granddaughter of his creator and cousin of Dr. Ivo Robotnik coming for them. If I were Artificial Chaos, I would hide.

...and if you've read, please review?


	47. Lost Impact

**Chapter 46: Lost Impact**

"Shadow! This way! The experimental monsters are in here! They have gone on a rampage! Please! You're the only one who can protect the ARK!"

"Uh, yes. I know. That is why we're currently on our way to rescue the professor, are you alright?" Shadow asked back, looking at the blonde girl with a bit of a raised eye ridge. "I mean, they only attacked us like five minutes ago," he pointed out.

"...yes. You know, I don't actually know why I said that," Maria replied a bit confusedly, her breath already slightly laboured as they were jogging down the corridor toward the engine deck. Shadow still wasn't too happy about her tagging along; her stamina wasn't that great due to her illness and he was worried about the safety of the frail girl he loved. Right now he even had to slow down considerably in his pace so she could keep up...

They turned a corner and immediately stopped in their tracks.

"Damn. They've been here as well," Shadow cursed as both hedgehog and human stared at the rubble now blocking their path. A hole had been torn into the corridor's side and it looked like there had been a veritable flood coming through, all kinds of rubbish, machine parts, broken glass and pieces of walls and doors blocking their way. Getting through there unhurt would be impossible.

"Where _is_ everybody?" Shadow demanded. "There should be clean-up crews, _anything_-"

"Maybe they've all fled, to panic rooms or something. We have no idea how many Chaos there are," Maria reminded him. "Come on, we can make our way to the other entrance of the engine deck, through the living quarters. Follow me," she said, already turning away and instead making her way into the dining area, both canteen and large kitchen side by side. Here, too, the table were knocked over, the food that had been on display fallen down and smeared across floor and walls while glasses, cups and plates had been smashed to pieces. Shadow remembered his own first trip to the canteen years ago and he could barely recognize the place. Maria, too, was staring a bit at the destruction until Shadow's snip of the fingers snapped her out of it.

"Hey, come on. We've got to cross through the kitch-" Shadow began, looking back at her over his shoulder while stepping through the doorway that connected the eating area with the industrial-sized kitchen. A sound attracted his attention and he turned back toward the cooking area in front of him just as Maria stepped up to his side.

Their gaze fell onto another large blob of Chaos that had just started raiding the fridge.

"Uh..."

It was as far as Shadow came before the thing screamed and they were already throwing themselves to the sides to avoid the attacking tentacles.

The Ultimate Lifeform immediately got back his footing as his body tensed up for the next inevitable battle, but he knew he couldn't face his opponent like this. His Chaos attacks didn't work very well on these creatures and he needed some kind of hard, possibly metallic weapon to break their skull. He suddenly wished he had brought the wrecked rifle from the unconscious soldier after all...

"Shadow! Catch!" Maria's high voice caught his attention fast, and not a second too late as there were already a large knife and a frying pan flying toward him, thrown by the girl who immediately ducked back behind the kitchen shelf she'd hidden behind.

"Keep him busy with these!"

"With a _frying pan!_?"

"Seemed like the classic thing!"

The black hedgehog hissed something (fortunately) non-understandable between gritted teeth as next, only his quick reflexes saved him from having his bones crushed by another tentacle as Chaos charged again. Instead, it hit the cupboard behind him, crushing the boards and toppling it, cutlery spilling onto the floor and turning it into a serrated sea of silver.

"Dammit! Stop that!" the Ultimate Lifeform shouted rather unnecessarily at the monster, instead landing on the metal counter in a position not unlike a culinarily-inclined ninja as he now crouched lightly on one knee with his other leg stretched out; knife in his left hand, pan in the right.

_When all you have is a frying pan, everything starts to look like...bacon? _

"SCREEEEE!" Chaos screeched as if in protest against the dark-furred hedgehog's horrid action one-liners, and in a split second struck again, but this time, Shadow was prepared.

"Take this!", he yelled, hitting the tentacles shooting toward him with the pan hard enough to deform and deflect them, letting Chaos recoil, but then he had already broken through its defences and rammed the knife deep into the creature's skull. The light in its eyes went out and the watery body dissolved onto the cooking place instantly.

"Ha, easy as-" Shadow began, dropping down onto the stove himself, victorious kitchen untensils still in hand, but he couldn't even touch the ground before he was again taken by surprise.

"Shadow!" Maria's scream rang out shrilly just as he could feel his arms being pressed against his sides, a tentacle wrapping itself around him as a second Chaos had apparently been attracted by the commotion and had also learned from the mistakes of its dead companion.

"No!" Shadow struggled, feeling how the appendage wrapped itself even tighter around him like a constrictor snake would, squeezing his ribcage together little by little every time a gasp escaped him, ultimately ensuring he would suffocate. He could dimly see Maria as a vague shape in the distance, the girl huddled against a counter somewhere, wisely choosing to stay away from the battle – but that wouldn't save her if he couldn't get out of this.

"Nngh-!" he snarled, trying to maybe summon a Chaos Blast or the like to help him get free, but it was difficult to concentrate – and then a second tentacle forced itself around his legs and let his knees collapse.

"Gah!" Shadow yelped as he lost his footing and tumbled down onto the counter, now squirming on his back in the tight hold, unable to either curl up, kick or even bite his captor. This was getting difficult...

_Heat._

Red eyes opened wide as suddenly, there was a hot surface pressed against his cheek and he lifted his head with a gasp.

_No._

Shadow realized with a shock that in the battle, somehow the stove had to have been switched on and he was lying right atop it now, unable to get off.

_I am going to be burned alive. This thing probably won't even realize what's happening because its damn body is totally nerveless. _

"Ma-Maria! Get away while you still can!" Shadow yelled, the heat beneath him already becoming painful, about to seriously singe his skin as a first taste of how it felt to be cooked to death, the tentacles pressing his body down still slippery as hell and impossible to wrench off...

_"Let him go, I'm warning you_!"

"Maria, no, they won't-aaaah!" Shadow's warning degenerated into a first gasp of pain as his face once again made contact with the hot plate, and his cry alone seemed to have been all Maria needed.

"I warned you! LEAVE HIM ALONE!" she shouted – and then pressed a button on the thing next to her and suddenly it was Chaos that shrieked and then immediately vaporized into steam. Shadow rolled off the cooking plate in one quick movement, not a second too late before there could have been serious damage.

"Shadow! Are you okay_!_?"

"Maria! What _was_ that?" the black hedgehog asked, bewildered, stomping the skull of the creature to pieces on the floor as if an afterthought. The blonde girl had just hurried over to him, dropping down for a hug.

"I rigged and boosted the microwave to focus its energy at Chaos. Hyper-excited his molecules and made them all phase-shift in a heart-beat."

"Ouch," Shadow, who had just nearly been boiled alive himself, commented. Maria's eyes hardened.

"I warned them. You heard it."

"Yes. I did. No complaints." He paused for a moment. "You managed to turn a microwave into a lethal weapon in under five minutes?"

She shrugged. "Shadow, I'm a human. If there's one thing we're exceptionally good at it's how to turn _anything_ into a weapon."

X-X

"Yeah, but...five minutes? I mean, come _on_," Sonic leaned back against his chair, gesturing with one hand. "I mean, I know she's smart and a Robotnik and all, but..."

"Are you familiar with the show _Doctor Who_, Sonic?"

"Yeah, a bit. I bet I'd be faster than those Blubbering Angels, by the way."

"About five weeks before this incident, Maria finally managed to build herself her very own version of a sonic screwdriver. I believe that helped with the microwave back then."

"Wait..."

X-X

"Where do we head next?"

"Through the bath rooms."

"Water. Great," Shadow commented unenthusiastically, trying to take the lead from the girl who had hurried on ahead. She had just saved him, but that still didn't mean he felt too happy to have her along. Already her hair was askew and on her dress there were dark patches from Chaos plasma and perspiration, even of her eyes were still blazing with determination. But she was just a sick girl...

Hover skates clicked on the tiled bathroom floor as he stepped into the next room that was only connected to the kitchen because of a hole that had been ripped into the wall. Again, there were pieces of ceiling and wreckage strewn across the wetly glistening floor yet the air was still humid and slightly warm as if it hadn't been too long since the last humans had been washing in here. There were none in sight now. But the black hedgehog could sense something was off...

"Be wary, Maria," Shadow said. "They could be everywh-"

Three of the shower pipes exploded in one go, spraying water everywhere.

"Oh for FU – _I hate it when everything happens exactly as I say!_" Shadow shouted, even as both friends were trying to shield their faces with their arms against the shower fountains. And then Maria's hand grabbed Shadow's shoulder so hard, she nearly drew blood.

"Shadow, they're coming out of the pipes!"  
"Wha-?" the black hedgehog whirled around, his eyes blinking frantically against the hot water that still came running down his face as it drenched his headfur, and saw that Maria was right. Like distorted special effects the amorphous monsters slithered and dripped, squeezed and gushed out of the burst shower pipes still spraying the area with water, making a puddle to their feet. These versions were slimmer than the previous ones they had encountered, perhaps only a foot and a half in diametre, but their form was also different, now looking more like giant upright leeches, their grotesque skulls suspended on a pillar of translucent slime, maybe about six feet high. They weren't hovering anymore but kept rooted to the ground, yet the tentacle that lashed out and only missed Shadow by inches convinced the two friends very quickly that this variation was only _different_, but no less deadly.

"Maria! Hide in that toilet stall!" Shadow shouted, quickly gathering her up and pushing her toward one of the cubicles. Three were too many for him to take on at once and maybe she would even be marginally more safe in there...

"Shadow, no! Not in there!"

"Maria, this really isn't the time to argue about hygiene-"

"This isn't what I mean _there's one already IN there!_"

"What?" Shadow managed to peek around the blonde girl's shoulder only long enough to see what was probably the most terrifying scene for anyone who had already freaked out over the hand coming out of a certain toilet bowl in Zelda, as Chaos grew straight from the porcellain throne.

"SCREEEE!"

The cubicle exploded when the newly emerged creature shot out its tentacles, not one or two appendages either, but protrusions that sprouted from nearly every surface of its body and they hit everything in sight. Shadow threw himself in front of Maria so that his body took the worst the of the lashing impact, but he was still smashed against her and both of them were tossed backwards like two fawns on the German Autobahn who had been hit by a juggernaut, landing in a heap on the slick floor and sliding through the bathroom muck until they almost gently connected with the opposite wall.

OoO

Sonic winced. "Wow_. Worst_ toilet stall to hide in since _Jurassic Park_."

Shadow raised an eye ridge. "Is there an _off _button to you?"

OoO

Maria moaned softly underneath the (thankfully smaller) Ultimate Lifeform, but tried to move. The girl grimaced as she managed to lift herself onto all fours. "Ow...I don't think I've ever taken such a beating, but I think I'm alright..."

"Good." The Ultimate Lifeform's voice was steady and when surprised blue eyes blinked through the blonde hair that hung down from her head, Maria could see that Shadow was already standing again, no sign of exhaustion or pain from the bruises that still forced her onto her knees visible in his demeanour. The black hedgehog that stood before her, facing the four slim Chaos gliding slowly across the ground, was every bit prepared to fight for her as if he had never been hurt today. Shadow dusted himself off and smirked at the Chaos.

"Alright. Playtime is over."

"How are you going to-?" Maria began, knowing that the weapons from the kitchen lay unreachable at the other side of the room, but Shadow cut her off. "Watch me. I've spent enough time on _Ninja Gaiden_ to know how this works."

"_Ninja Gai_-?"

Shadow casually picked up two of the heavy metal shower heads that lay on the floor, still attached to their flexible tubes that had been torn off when the Chaos had blasted into the room. The creatures were now watching them warily, but apparently could only move very slowly, this form not nearly as mobile. Shadow tied the two tubes together, now basically having a very short rope with two heavy, lengthy attachments to either side. An ever so worrying grin crept over his muzzle.

Maria looked at him.

"You're not serious."

"Oh, but I am," Shadow replied smoothly, right before he started swinging one of the shower heads very carefully in a quick-paced circle with his left hand, keeping the other in the right.

"I _always_ wanted to try nun-chucks."

Shadow charged even before Maria could say anything. She wasn't even sure whether she would have yelled something about how bathroom-themed impro-nun-chucks were the silliest thing in the world or actually kind of cool.

Skates were hissing over the wet floor, jet soles turning water into steam where they blazed along the puddle the monsters sat in. Shadow whirled at his enemies with deadly grace, twisting his jagged body in the air to avoid the attacking tentacles and then hurled one of the shower-head with skull-shattering force at the first of the Chaos, who died before it could even scream.

That, it turned out, had been a mistake.

If the Chaos had been hostile beforehand, now they were _furious_. They stopped even caring about hurting each other, lashing out wildly at the twisting, dodging shape in their midst, a lone dancer in a circle of bone-crushing whips. Shadow himself could feel his unease rising as he barely avoided a swipe at his eye, and an opportunity for attack was not forthcoming, either. He really should have planned this out better...

_And if I lose now, Maria will be in danger, too. Why on Earth did I let her come?_

"Shadow, jump! NOW!"

Maria's voice, high-pitched and ringing like a bell in the tiled room, skipped his brain and went straight to his muscles, used to obey military commands. Shadow leapt and spun before he could even think about what he was doing and when he did, Maria had already shoved her tazer into the puddle the water creatures had reared in and electrocuted them all.

Shadow dropped down into a mixture of water and dead Chaos. He stared at Maria who bit her lip as she pocketed the fried tazer again.

"Huh. And I thought my mother was being paranoid when she sent me that."

The black hedgehog shook his head.

_Mental note: Scratch worrying about Maria. The way she's been going at this since we started, they should have tried to train *her* as weapon of mass destruction and not me. _

xxx

Shadow's light-heartedness was gone as soon as they finally reached the door leading down to the engine deck. It was different down here. The architecture alone suggested that this had never been meant to be a place were living creatures were supposed to exist.

"Alright, let's hurry," Maria encouraged him, once again jogging up ahead through the high-ceilinged, metal-plated rooms more reminiscent of the _Cube_-movie than anything else. Both fell silent as the sound of fighting reached their ears and they quickened their pace through a store room full of crates into the first compartment that actually contained an engine – and were already caught in the crossfire.

"Aaah! _Don't shoot! Don't shoot!_" Maria called, Shadow immediately tackling her to the floor so the bullets zipped over their heads. The battlefield was a large, rectangular room filled with moving platforms, giant green energy conductor cables in a trench in the floor, a crane, _lots_ of flashing lights, two open elevators in the corners, and also, packs of GUN soldiers and Artificial Chaos trying to kill each other.

"You two! Stay down! Men! Cease fire! Keep your weapons trained on the experiment in case they try to attack!" A woman (presumably the highest-ranking officer of the group) shouted. Shadow and Maria slowly raised their heads and made their way over to the troupe as quickly as possible.

"What the hell are y'all doing here?" the woman asked, staring at the two young ones with equal parts suspicion and disbelief.

"Rescuing Professor Robotnik," Maria replied truthfully. When the short-haired, blonde woman did not seem very convinced, she added: "This is Project Shadow. He has been specifically trained for scenarios such as this and I'm, in fact, his trainer. Maria Robotnik." Shadow nodded a greeting.

"Is that so?" the officer asked, still a bit wary, but perhaps more concerned with other problems. "Well, we can use all the help we can get down here. If y'all can help fighting against these monsters-"

One of the Chaos chose that specific moment to attack and a shot rang through the air as one of the soldiers had pulled his trigger. The creature died just as instantly as it had in Maria's room and the blonde girl wondered whether for a moment she had just seen a strange, far-away expression on the Ultimate Lifeform's face...

"Do you know where Professor Robotnik is?" Maria asked. The woman pointed on ahead. "We're an outpost here to avoid more Chaos escaping. The communications are down but I hear he's supposed to be in the main lab. Try to give the troops inside a hand – most civilians have been escorted into panic rooms, but we're down here fighting."

"We'll do our best," Maria assured her before they turned away and hurried on – at least they now knew where everybody was.

They passed two more doors and made their way across a bridge that led into another large room, similar to the first one – except the moving platforms in here had cannon mounted onto them.

"Heh, nice. Why don't we use that one to wipe out any artificial Chaos that come in here?" Shadow asked, pointing at the thing, but Maria pulled him away.

"We have to find Grandfather first, Shadow. He made these creatures after the image of an ancient echidna god, he may be the only one who knows how to stop them."

"Yadda yadda yadda, we can't fire the giant fun cannon, yadda yadda. Got it," the black hedgehog grumbled, but of course, the cannon was soon not his main priority anymore as the door on the other side of the room opened – and more GUN soldiers poured in, immediately firing at them.

"Yaaah! Don't shoot! Don't _shoot_! We're civilians!" Maria shouted immediately, Shadow adding his own 'What are you, _blind_, you morons?_!_', even if that went largely unheard in the gunfire. Thankfully, the commander of this troupe was as understanding (read: gullible) as the first one and he, too, let them continue - the next door opened into a corridor lined on both sides by giant water tanks, the air smelling stale and metallic as they hurried through. Shadow was just about to complain that so far, they hadn't yet had seen _anything_ even remotely interesting while they had been down here, but of course, it was at that moment that the screaming started.

_"They got Jim!"_

"They're _demons!_"

Two white-faced, terrified soldiers dashed around the corner and rushed past them, one of them even crying in fear. Maria and Shadow exchanged a single glance and then immediately started running into the direction they had come from.

"Oh no!" Maria gasped as they turned the corner and saw a man lying in a puddle of blood, an orb-shaped Chaos hovering above him like a distorted version of an alien angel. "He's injured – it's going to kill him!_ Wait_!" she shouted, before then actually running toward the prone soldier, waving her arms like mad.

"Maria!" Shadow yelled, not believing his eyes. Had she gone insane?

"I'm going to distract it! Find a weapon!" She shouted back over her shoulder, for a moment not seeing where she was going – and then she screamed as the Chaos grabbed her effortlessly off her feet.

"MARIA!" Shadow cried out as once again, his blood seemed to have been replaced with ice, almost paralyzed as he saw his friend in such mortal danger. He looked around frantically – he couldn't throw a Chaos Spear because it would hit her as well, he couldn't homing-attack without slicing her in half, he had to -

His gaze fell onto something on the floor, which the fleeing soldiers had to have dropped. It was small, black, semi-automatic and 100 percent deadly. Shadow picked it up as if in a daze, the metal of the gun nearly seeming to mold into his hand.

_This...this is..._

"Shadow!"

"Maria!" Shadow's mind snapped back into the present as his friend called his name. Red eyes flickered to the girl struggling against the suffocating embrace of the Artificial Chaos and Shadow knew that he had one chance, and one chance only. He aimed the pistol and cocked it. It made the exact same noise as it always had in the movies and Shadow could feel his throat run dry. He tried to keep his hand steady...

_I can do this. I have always had good aim._

"_Shadow!" _Maria screamed as one of the tentacles threatened to slide over her face...

Shadow pulled the trigger and shot. The skull of Chaos burst like a paper bag.

"Iyaaaaah!" Maria shrieked as the stuff splattered over her dress, even when she started to fall to the floor and Shadow caught her.

"Bullseye," the black hedgehog commented glibly. "Did you see it?"

"Not much of it, I was more busy being killed," the blonde girl admitted, wiping the muck off her dress with a disgusted expression. "You took a gun?"

"Yes," Shadow nodded. "It just saved your life, and I think..." he gave the weapon a rare appreciative glance. "I think this is the beginning of a beautiful friendship..."

OoO

"Again with the guns," Sonic shook his head. "You know I wouldn't be caught _dead_ with those, right?"

"To each their own," Shadow shrugged. "I consider these chili dogs of yours to be worthy of restriction by the Geneva convention."

"Yeah, but..." Sonic snorted. "I dunno, with you it's more like an obsession, I think."

"...say that one more time and I'll shoot you."

"See_?_!"

OoO

"This is perfect," Shadow smirked. One more Artificial Chaos had tried to attack since he had acquired the gun and he had been able to fell it in a single short. No wonder Vincent had felt so superior...Shadow knew that he was probably still a lot more dangerous than a human with a gun, but he did well understand now where the fascination with those things came from...Shadow _liked_ power, and, like Emeralds, these things seemed to have it in spades.

"Yeah, great," Maria replied, seemingly not thrilled with Shadow's newfound hobby, but knowing that it could very well come in handy. "More important is, what are we going to do with the injured soldier here?"

"Uh..." Shadow looked down at the faintly breathing body. There were a few options in his head, but he doubted any of them would please Maria much. He tried it anyway.

"Leave him here for his comrades to find?"

"No, of course not! Shadow, we have to find a first aid kit and _help_ him!"

"...of course."

_Why can't that man be a horse?_

OoO

Sonic raised an eye ridge, but there was an amused twitching around the edges of his mouth.

"So instead of being able to go onto a killing spree now, Maria made you stay and help an injured soldier?"

"Yes," Shadow scowled at him as if Sonic had been the one responsible for that. "Luckily, the first aid kits aboard the ARK were basically working along the same lines as my regeneration chamber – just gaseous. The principle was you took a large glass capsule, broke it, and the nanites released into the air would heal any wounds they found."

"Huh. Sounds good," Sonic admitted. "Surely works faster than the traditional way."

"Yes. Except if your friend makes you heal about two _dozen_ people and you've skated your jet shoes off before you can even think about making some progress."

"Oh."

"Yeah."

"Well, uh...at least you got a real good grasp of the layout of the engine deck this way?" Sonic suggested.

"Oh, about _that_..."

OoO

"I think we need to go left now..."

"Okay, let's-"

"...or maybe right? Or the other left? Come to think of it, I _think_ we've been here before..."

"Wait, we're lost?_!_"

"Well, not technically _lost, _more that our coordinates show a slight discrepancy between desired parameters and-"

"Maria! You were in charge of the map!"

"Yes, but it's not my fault all these rooms look basically the same!"

"Girls and directions. I should have known."

"Oy! Okay, you just listen, Mr. 'Can't do my Math homework as soon as there's polynomial long divison involved' -"

And then, of course, GUN soldiers entered and shot at them.

OoO

"Ah," Sonic managed. "Say, these GUN people weren't very good at what they were doing, were they?"

"No," Shadow commented dryly. "Some of them were shooting at walls – AND had trouble hitting those."

"I see...well, better than shooting at you and Maria, right?"

Shadow glowered at him. "I have scars of ricochets in places_ no-one_ wants to know about."

OoO

"That's it!" Maria called out as they had finally reached a door that was slightly larger than the others and also had a keypad that was blinking. "Grandfather's gotta be in here, it's been deadlocked from inside!"

"And that is reason to celebrate, why?" Shadow asked, teeth gritted at the numerous injuries he had already received today. "Communications are down, we can't get into contact with him and we can't get in there, either. He has no idea we're here!"

A smile flit across the girl's face. "Watch me." She turned toward the number pad. "Of course the deadlock can also be lifted if you can enter the password from the outside. And I have a hint which one's he used..."

Her fingers flit across the key pad.

"M-A-R-I- A," Shadow pronounced the letters as she typed them and then couldn't hide a weary smile, either. "Heh, yeah, you're right. That wasn't particularly challenging."

"But _very_ flattering," Maria added cheerfully. "I bet he'd be using that password still in fifty years..."

The door slid open as they spoke. Inside, there was dim lighting, the only illumination stemming from the LEDs of the machines and they at first couldn't even see whether there was anybody inside until-

"_Hold it right there!"_

Both girl and hedgehog's eyes grew VERY wide as they stared down the barrel of the first genuine sci-fi cannon they had ever seen.

"Professor, it's us! Don't shoot!" Shadow, who recovered first, yelled hastily. "There's no danger!"

"Shadow?" Gerald asked incredulously, then gave an even bigger double-take as he glanced around his siege-weapon to take in not only the silhouette of his finest creation but also of his granddaughter both in the door. "What-?"

"We've come here on a rescue mission for you," Maria smiled and stepped in for a hug. "Let's close the door before any Chaos come for us, alright?"

"Yes, of course-" Gerald stepped forward, pressing the button that would let the metal portal slide shut again. Shadow was still busy ogling the...thing. Outwardly, it _looked_ a bit like the shape of a medieval cannon, but seemed to have been cobbled together by various parts of machinery scavenged from consoles in the laboratory they stood in. Lots of them were opened and had parts missing. The front piece of the cannon seemed to be some sort of lens and Shadow could see multiple Chaos drives inserted into it.

"What...is this thing, professor?" he finally asked.

"Oh, this. Well, basically my last line of defense. It can shoot a highly concentrated beam of Chaos Energy similar to your Chaos Spear. I was hoping that if they should make it through the door I could at least stun the first few who came. Of course, the thing is also able to eat through five foot of steel as if were butter, so I'll have to dismantle it before GUN gets here, but actually this mini Eclipse cannon is quite a success," he explained, once again slipping into the proud scholarly tone he adopted so easily.

Shadow looked at Maria.

"He was locked in this lab so he simply made a weapon capable of bursting five foot of steel."

Gerald gave a tired smile.

"The family name's Robotnik, _Shadow_. Never forget that." His eyes behind dark glasses briefly travelled over the hedgehog's body, the weapon in his hand and blood and Chaos plasma that covered him. "Of course, not that _you_ would ever have had trouble fitting into the family..."

"But grandpa, what do we _do_ now?" Maria piped up, once again torn between her admiration for the sheer ingenuity her family was able to put into instruments of destruction and inwardly appalled at their uses, so Shadow supposed she was trying to change the topic now. "We managed to get here to find you, and maybe we can make it out alive with you, but the Chaos are still out there and-"

"I have a better idea. From here, we can end this," Gerald said, and his voice was hard.

"The Artificial Chaos have been a side-line of my experiments in the quest for the Ultimate Lifeform. They were not what I had been looking for, but even when we turned to other directions – that eventually lead to your creation, Shadow – they were too fascinating to be left unexplored. We always kept a couple of them around; like bacteria they reproduced by segmentation rather than sexual intercourse. The level of intelligence we could perceive lay even below that of non-sapient vertebrates," Gerald said, swallowing before he continued. "That also meant that we thought we could use them in...experiments."

Maria's sky-blue eyes darkened slightly, but it was with equal parts of sadness, anger and resignation. She knew that for scientific progress, experiments were necessary, and after all, she herself was a test run for any number of new medications against NIDS and her best friend was only alive because he had been born a living experiment. "Go on," she said.

"Because they didn't mix their DNA during reproduction it made them the perfect vessels to test out new strands of genes we designed that we could introduce into their genetic pool. But the last addition we made...went wrong..."

"Yeah, we kind of noticed that," Shadow said, smudging a small drop of blood threatening to spill out of a cut in his cheek with his thumb. "So they went berserk?"

"Yes," Gerald admitted. "I wasn't there but that was what I could piece together from the last lab entries before documentation broke off. I still have to take a closer look which cell strand actually was the last to be introduced and cause this, but the results..." he sighed. "They multiplied like crazy. They were suddenly resistant against all kinds of things the scientists responsible for them had used to restrain them beforehand. And..." he paused.

"One of the laboratory assistants had written that suddenly, there was _rage_ in them. As if the spirit of the ancient god of Chaos had suddenly descended upon them, that there was something ancient and malign to their fury. They still weren't intelligent, he'd said, that it was more like an echo of sentience, perhaps...that this wasn't mere wanton destruction, but that it came from something, somewhere..." he trailed off and shook his head. "Nonsense, of course. There is no such things as gods or spirits," the old man said, even if he refused to admit that he had actually felt a shiver run down his spine when he had read that last entry in the lab journal. "But it all boils down to this," he finally cut his own narration short. "They were created by me – and I know how to destroy them."

"Then why the heck haven't you done it yet?" Shadow asked, one eye ridge raised.

"What I was planning to do was adjust this Chaos cannon so it emits a powerful pulse instead of a beam, that would be capable of taking out all the Chaos aboard the ARK," Gerald replied calmly, "But I'm missing a conductor, something like a Chaos Emerald to gather enough power. Damn that fool Snivelly for breaking mine when he almost killed you," the old scientist hissed, banging a fist on the side of his cannon. "It could be the death of us all, now..."

"Say, if all you need is a device to collect and then channel a large amount of Chaos energy..." Maria began, pursing her lips, and Shadow took the hint. There was the sound of a gun dropping to the floor and then, illuminating the dim room and Shadow's smirking features, there was the familiar crackling of emerald fire in the Ultimate Lifeform's outstretched palm.

"You need Chaos energy, professor? Just tell me where."

"Shadow, it's dangerous-" Gerald began, but couldn't even finish his sentence. Both teenagers stepped forward.

"Grandpa, we have been fighting the Chaos single-handedly out there all day," Maria pointed out and Shadow smirked,

"_We're_ dangerous."

xxx

Seen from the Earth, it looked like an additional glitter of starlight in the sky.

Seen from the Moon, it was more like a blossom of a sudden firework, an expanding ball lightning perhaps, flashing briefly through the lightless emptiness of space.

And seen from inside the ARK, it was a thunderstorm summoned by a god of wildfire.

The pulse had been as white and blinding as magnesium flares when it had emerged from the core of the cannon Shadow had called the energy into and then it had grown like a supernova and wreaked destruction everywhere it went. Gerald and Maria had gasped as it passed through them, their hair standing on end and sending out sparks; fuses burnt, screens exploded, consoles burst into flames of unnatural colours within seconds. No doors or walls were damaged as the pulse had moved through solid objects as if they were immaterial, but even bottles burst, sirens died in mid-howl with a static crack, and everywhere, everywhere were the dying screeches of Chaos.

And then, there was silence.

...for all of ten seconds, before the running and shouting started outside.

"Did...did we do it?" Maria asked. "Did we defeat all of the Chaos?"

"We better did or else I'm not up for much more of this..." Shadow's voice came as the black hedgehog stepped away from the cannon, one hand grasping his head. His movements looked tired and clumsy, eyes squeezed shut after he had spent so much energy.

"Chaos, I want to go to bed..."

He had barely uttered the words when the door was shoved open for a second time.

"ROBOTNIK!"

"Graves?" Gerald took a step back at the sudden appearance of the Commander in the doorway, two younger soldiers flanking him, one appearing hurt. All of them looked like they had been in an explosion, possibly several.

"What are you doing here?" Gerald demanded. "Don't tell me you've come for Shadow already."

"What? What is _he_ doing here?" Graves asked, only now taking note of the weary Ultimate Lifeform standing in the background, but already glaring at the grey-haired Commander. "This is a rescue mission, Robotnik."

"Well, as it so happened, my granddaughter and Shadow managed to get here and 'rescue' me first – and then helped me to stop the invasion in its tracks."

For a moment, the towering soldier seemed to teeter between incredulous and short of exploding (or simply going for the 'those-meddling-kids!'-option...) but then, his usual restrained and serious expression clamped into place.

"Well done. Except that blast or ray or whatever the hell that just was didn't clean out all areas. There are still some of your creatures left."

"Where?" Gerald asked. "The furthest area of the ARK from here would be..."

"The hospital," the silver-haired tall man answered darkly. "The communications are coming online slowly again and according to the last reports, it's still under attack."

Gerald frowned. "Well, then, surely your men can deal with those left on your own."

"There aren't many of my men left capable of fighting."

"I'm not surprised," Shadow said acidly, finally uttering his first words ever since the Commander had stepped into the room. "The way your idiots kept firing at _me_ instead of the Chaos even when I was _helping_ them, I wouldn't be surprised if they had all graduated from the Imperial Stormtrooper Marksmanship Academy and shot at each other in between."

There was a sharp intake of breath from Graves and for a moment Gerald thought he would order the men behind him to open fire on Shadow right this moment. Instead, his mis-matched eyes only narrowed dangerously.

"Do not insult my men, project."

"Then teach them the difference between aliens and _hedgehogs_," Shadow scathed. "One is black and the other one's blue, if that helps. Are humans colour-blind?" Before Graves could reply, a smirk stole onto his muzzle and he added: "Face it, Commander. You need me now. I'm the only one who can save this hospital." There was a pause.

"Will you do it?" the tall man asked.

Shadow shrugged. "Of course. Despite what you seem to think, I am no monster. I hope this will finally prove it to you," he said, inwardly already glowing with satisfaction. Saving a hospital run by GUN? This was the chance he had wanted to prove to Maria that he was actually trying to live up to her ideals.

"Then I will trust you with this, Shadow," Graves replied, his voice low. The black hedgehog merely nodded curtly, already picking up his gun again and preparing to leave, only taking time to shoot a smug glance at Maria, mostly along the 'See-how-good-hearted-I-am'-lines.

"How many in the hospital?" he asked, almost like in passing.

"Only one," Graves said, and his next words let Shadow almost freeze in his tracks.

"My son."

When the Ultimate Lifeform glanced at Maria again, she was very obviously trying not to laugh.

xxx

"I am _not_ going to be saving that brat."

"Yes, you are. Sanctity of all life, Shadow. This is exactly what I've been trying to teach you."

"But this is basically natural selection!" The Ultimate Lifeform tried a last, desperate plea, but the blonde girl would have none of it.

"I didn't hear that. You are going to go in there, you are going to prove that you are a hundred times a better person than he is, and you are going to make it out of there alive," she said – right before dropping into a crouch and hugging him tightly. "Promise me you'll come back alive. Promise me you'll try to save him."

Shadow sighed, but then gloved hands, the left one still grasping the freshly loaded gun, hugged back.

"I promise."

The doors slid open with a hiss and the Ultimate Lifeform stepped inside the hospital without looking back.

OoO

"Huh. Drama," Sonic grinned.

"Drama you bet," Shadow grumbled. "I was this close to tearing my quills out at the cosmic injustice of it all."

"Could've been worse," Sonic shrugged. "If this was some comedy series, you and Vincent would probably have had to get married at some point."

To Sonic's credit, it took the Ultimate Lifeform a full ten minutes to get over the mental horror of that one before he could continue the story.

OoO

Glass cracked under Shadow's feet as he stepped into the deserted lobby. He had been here quite few times during his childhood, when he had still been allowed to walk around the ARK and had visited Maria in here whenever she had been sick. Now she was so much stronger...

"Now where is that idiot?"

The Ultimate Lifeform made his way carefully toward the door leading to the sick bays, gun held downwards, but at the ready. He wasn't really sure whether he wouldn't shoot himself in the foot at some point like that, but at least it looked cool and made him feel more secure.

Black ears twitched as they picked up faint sounds of crashing in the distance and he pushed open the swinging door, which promptly fell out of its frame. Jet shoes came to life as the hedgehog began to skate through the corridor, picking up velocity as the sounds of fighting drew nearer. He could hear the cacophonic screech of Chaos and-

"YARGH! Get away you freak! My father is gonna have all you abominations killed! You hear me?_!_"

_...actually, Chaos sounds friggin melodious compared to this, _the Ultimate Lifeform thought.

Nevertheless, he sped up, his depleted Chaos caches letting his body feel the strain even as his shoes only used a minuscule amount. Shadow was glad when he finally skated to a stop in front of a door where the sounds were coming from inside. He kicked it open.

"To quote one of the greatest movies of all time," he said, regarding coolly both Vincent trying to fight off one of the ball-shaped Chaos creatures with a chair as well as the monster itself who had just noticed him. The black hedgehog cocked his gun.

"Yippee-ki-yay, motherfaker."

OoO

"_Motherfaker__?_!"

"I'm trying to keep this PG-rated. Might not have been the exact thing I said," Shadow replied smoothly, drumming his fingers on the armrest impatiently. Sonic snorted.

"Great, this is starting to turn into How I Met Your Mother..."

OoO

"Oh no," Vincent said. In his arm still stuck a needle from the IV stand and he was wearing nothing but a hospital gown, yet his muscular arms still kept the chair he'd been using as a weapon aloft, and one of Chaos' horns was broken off, as if they had already been fighting for a while. The room looked pretty thrashed, too.

"Oh yes," Shadow insisted.

"Who let you out of your crate?" Vincent snarled, trying to keep both the monster and the hedgehog in sight as he retreated, Chaos apparently fortunately already a bit reluctant to attack him, even if it still screeched threateningly. "If you're here to kill me, freak, you picked a bad time. Get in line," he spat, swiping at another tentacle that had gotten too close. Shadow ran a hand over his face. They way the imbecile kept waving the damn chair around, he didn't have a chance of getting a clear shot at Chaos.

"I'm here on a rescue mission, you insufferable moron, your father asked me! Now _get down_!"

"I don't need your rescue shitaaAAAAh!" Vincent shouted back, but had left his guard down for just a single second – and that had been enough for Chaos to finally snatch him and ensnare him like Shadow and Maria previously.

"Uh-huh. I can see that," Shadow commented, but the next thing that happened was that in the struggle Vincent's gown flew open and the Ultimate Lifeform instantly flinched.

_I did *not* need to see that. _

Furless was gross, and the little fur the human had certainly was NOT enough.

"Pathetic," he informed the human, (not making it entirely clear what exactly he was referring to...) "You know, I can actually for once say this phrase truthfully – you fail at defeating something a little _girl_ had no trouble with," he smirked.

Vincent only gargled in reply, his face slowly starting to turn bluish as Chaos constricted its tentacle. Shadow grinned like a snake.

"Enjoying the feeling of suffocation, human?" he asked pleasantly. "We can swap near-death stories later."

"Furgh...you..."

"'_Thank_ you', I believe?" Shadow repeated with a cocked eye ridge, the grey-haired teenager fortunately not having had enough air for all the vowels in his words. But nevertheless, just moments before the twitching movements of the Commander's son would have stopped forever, Shadow finally took aim, and Chaos died as soon as the bullet impacted its brain. Vincent dropped to the floor like an extremely ill-tempered marionette.

"_Ahhh!_ I just sprained my ankle and I almost died! You are a _psycho_!"

"I must be. I just saved your life," Shadow commented in disdain, staring at the human as if he had just soiled the floor. "And for Chaos' sake, _please_ close your nightgown."

The garment was immediately shut, the teenager lighting up furiously, even if Shadow at this moment honestly couldn't care less. He still needed to get the idiot out of here and he had no idea whether there were any more Chaos still hiding. The easiest way would be to take the brat and run...

"I'm going to lift you up and get you out. Don't cause me any more trouble," Shadow warned Vincent as he stepped closer. Immediately, the human's hands flew up.

"Hold it right there, freak. If you think for one second I'll let you touch me, then-"

There was the solid smack of the butt of a rifle impacting on a grey-haired head. With a soft sigh, the now unconscious boy slumped to the floor, just as Shadow finally stored his gun in his quills again.

That _TWACK!_ had been the sweetest sound he'd heard all day.

Xxx

_"Shadow!_"

Maria of course was the first one to run to him when he emerged, still carrying Vincent in his arms.

(Well. Technically, he had dragged the nuisance most of the way by one foot like a carcass, but had thought it might look better like this when emerging).

"You saved him! You really did!" the blonde girl cheered, her eyes shining. Shadow noted that somebody in between had taken care of her, removed her clothes and given her fresh ones to wear as well as patched up her bruises. There were more people around now, caring for wounded and cleaning up, so it seemed like this nightmare was finally over...

Red eyes, already beginning to perceive the world as slightly fuzzy due to exhaustion looked up as a shadow fell on them and the Ultimate Lifeform could make out the silhouette of Commander Graves.

"You saved my son. I won't forget this," he said, even as a nurse finally arrived to take the limp body of Vincent out of his arms. Shadow nodded numbly, registering the words even if not sure about the meaning. Now that the adrenaline was gone and his Chaos energy nearly depleted, his body was teetering on the edge of shut-down. But what Maria said next was more important than anything anybody else could have said, anyway.

"For you, Maria. I promised," Shadow uttered. The blonde girl pressed a kiss onto his forehead. "I know. That's the hedgehog I want as my brother."

Shadow's eyes closed, and, with a last, tired smile, finally let sleep overtake his body and collapse into his friend's arms the moment she had truly taken him back again.

_To be continued...

* * *

_

Note: yes, I feel silly typing "screee!" as dialogue.

Heh, one last update before Christmas, hope you liked. A bit more light-hearted than all the drama of the previous chapters. :) If you read...please review because it's Christmas (almost?) XD

Review replies should be out soon...^^°


	48. A Chaos Carol

**Chapter 47: A Chaos Carol**

Shadow woke up groggily, black eye lids blinking as pupils framed by crimson irises tried to get used to the light. For some reason, everything surrounding him was white...

An ungloved hand twitched. The white was soft and he realized he was lying in it. This wasn't the mixed pillows and patchwork quilt of his cage...

A sudden chill ran down Shadow's spine and for a second he didn't dare move. Where was he? Had he been taken away for experiments again? Was this a lab? Something was lying on top of his body...

"Who's there_?_!" the black hedgehog sat up with a start, tearing the blanket off himself in one movement – to feel very, very silly. There was a pause.

_I'm in my own bed. _

_...I totally knew that. _

With a sigh, Shadow cast the blanket fully off his body, sitting up and swinging his legs over the edge of the large bed, the rings around his ankles clanking against the metal stead. He yawned and stretched his hands over his head.

_Right. I have my own room now. I just wish I didn't forget it every morning. _

Shadow let his shoulders and arms slump down again in content. Things had changed ever since the invasion of the Artificial Chaos...

The Ultimate Lifeform raised himself to trot over to the washbasin and splash his face. He had to admit, he usually didn't know who the black-furred monster in the mirror was each morning (but he brushed the guy's teeth anyway) and when he had towelled himself off he looked more like a feral dust bunnie from _Howl's Moving Castle_, but he also didn't really care. Right at the moment he was just enjoying the feeling of actually having a room to call his own and being treated like a fully fledged person.

The black hedgehog _still _had to smirk at the recollection of Vincent's expression when his father the Commander had granted Shadow full civilian status after basically having saved the ARK – and the brat himself.

"Hhh!" Shadow briefly sucked air through his teeth as he tore off another band-aid from the inside of his elbow, naturally taking several strands of black fur with it. Of course, he was still experimented on and partook in battle training just like before, but the difference was that not only did he have more free time now, but he was also able to move around without restrictions and they were training him in the use of guns (and in Shadow's opinion that last one was one hell of an upside).

The Ultimate Lifeform continued to rummage in a drawer of his to pull out a fresh pair of gloves, fiddling with the cuffs to slip them under his inhibitor rings. Bare black feet with a red streak ending in a diamond symbol on the ankle slid into his shoes, the dark-furred hedgehog briefly giving two energy bursts from the soles out of habit. Alright. He turned toward the door and pressed the button to open it. Now he was ready to face the-

"Shadow! MERRY CHRISTMAS!"

The Ultimate Lifeform barely had time to yelp before being tackle-hugged right back into his room. If he didn't know any better, he could have sworn the blonde girl had _cat _genes.

"Merry Whatnow?" he stammered.

OoO

Sonic raised an eye ridge. "Wait, what?" he asked. "Okay, I get that the Professor probably didn't teach you much cultural stuff, but you didn't know about _Christmas? Y_ou were like, what, five years old by then? Chaos, saying that out loud sounds weird..."

"Four, actually. I was awakened in February," Shadow shrugged. "That meant the first time Christmas came I had barely progressed to two-syllable words, the second time we might've celebrated, but Maria got sick and the Professor had other things on his mind, the third time _I _was the one in quarantine because the scientists had just injected me with tuberculosis, the fourth time I had spent locked up by GUN and right now I was just about to turn five in little more than a month," he recounted, ticking the missed holidays off on his fingers. "So yeah, first Christmas."

"Wow," Sonic commented, "You haven't had much luck with Christmases, have you?"

"No," Shadow agreed, "And neither with birthdays, considering on my first that we celebrated I found out that I was created as an experiment in the worst way possible, and right after the _last_ one I celebrated aboard the ARK...well..." he trailed off here, but before Sonic could ask further what had happened, the black hedgehog had already jumped back to the past, shortly before his fifth birthday and straight to the festivities two months prior.

OoO

"Merry Christmas, Shadow," Maria repeated, loosening her death grip a little. "Don't you remember? I told you about it at the beginning of December!"

"Uh...was it that thing with the gifts...?" Shadow tried, vaguely recalling Maria talking about some sort of another Earth holiday, but it in Shadow's ears back then it had sounded more like an excuse to eat and terrorize relatives you secretly hated.

"Exactly!" Maria smiled, her bright blue eyes shining. "Come on, let's start preparing everything!"

"Woah!" Crimson eyes widened a bit as he was pulled out of the door. He had to admit, he wasn't exactly sure what the Professor was currently treating his granddaughter with, but it did seem to have a tremendous effect on her health. He stumbled outside into the corridor and...stared.

"Maria...is the ARK under attack again? Is something about to explode?" he asked, because usually aboard a space station, the amount of colourful lights blinking everywhere at the moment would _not_ be a good sign.

"No, that's decoration, silly!" Maria laughed. "Green and red are traditional Christmas colours."

"Right," Shadow stated, walking after her on their way to Gerald's main lab. They passed various scientists and service personel, a lot of them for some reason wearing strange hats and/or carrying bags, humming tunes or wishing Maria a 'Merry Christmas!'. Snively also passed them, but only paused to first glare at them and mutter a 'Bah, humbug!" under his breath, before hurrying on. Shadow for some reason had the impression that this was oddly seasonal, too.

"First, we have to put up the tree," Maria informed him as she opened the door to the lab. It slid open with a _swish_ and the Ultimate Lifeform...stared, again. Inside, there were more fir branches, glittery things, statuettes of moose, sleighs and angels than there ever should be in a lab that wasn't situated at the North Pole, in Shadow's opinion.

"Do you like it? I've been decorating all morning!"

"Uh..."

The Ultimate Lifeform was pretty sure that if Gerald had wanted to, he could have designed a freakin detector to measure the kitsch background radiation in here.

"...it's lovely, Maria."

"Thank you, Shadow!"

_I am SO glad she's going to be a scientist and not an interior designer. _

Shadow opened his mouth to ask another question (namely, where she was intending to get a tree in outer space, because the Little Prince on his asteroid wasn't going to pass by any time soon), but was interrupted when a particularly big piece of decoration turned around and revealed himself to be, in fact, Professor Gerald.

"HO, HO, HO, Shadow!" he called out, spreading his arms in the strange red jacket with the white fur cuffs, gold buttons and black belt he was wearing. Shadow cocked an eye ridge.

"Professor, I hope you don't mind me telling you, but you look like your grandson during one of his psychotic episodes."

"Ah, yes, I suppose." Gerald frowned briefly. "But Merry Christmas all the same, Shadow."

"So everyone keeps telling me. But-"

It was at this point that the Ultimate Lifeform was hit by a tree.

"GAH!"

"Oh Shadow, I'm so sorry!"

"Get this thing _off_ me!"

"Uh, it's a bit heavy..."

"Oh for Chaos' sake..." Shadow grunted as he lifted the plant off his back with one hand and managed to crawl out from underneath it, certain that he had about a gazillion pine needles stuck in between his quills now and _also _certain that it would take an equal amount of years to get them all out again.

xxx

"Why do we have to do this, again? And, more importantly, where did you even _get_ a tree?" Shadow asked with a strained voice as the two (quasi-)teenagers were wrestling with the stubborn ornament about ten minutes later, trying to get the thing straight.

"Grandpa got the biologists to speed-grow a number of trees to be used for Christmas," she said, "It's an...ooomph...ancient tradition," Maria managed past a mouthful of needles, "You decorate the, house to, er...lure in Santa Claus, I guess?" she asked, suddenly sounding not quite so sure herself, now.

"Close. Originally, the tradition was to decorate the entrance of your house with fresh fir branches to ward off evil spirits," Gerald's voice came from the back of the laboratory where he was busy doing something to the table. "That was the source of the tradition, but of course, it's changed a lot over time."

"Right," Shadow grunted, giving the obnoxious tree trying to smother him a final shove, "And you usually do this at this specific time of year because...?"

"Because everyone knows it's Christmas time as soon as the Coca-Cola Christmas truck commercials start on TV, silly!" Maria replied brightly, Shadow only briefly wondering why Gerald in the background seemed to be hiding his face in his hands now.

OoO

"Okay, hold it," Sonic said, holding up his hands. "You never celebrated it before, okay, but you didn't even know the _vague_ background? Not even the Christmas story?"

Shadow frowned. "Excuse me? Of course I did. Old grouchy guy hating Christmas gets visited by three ghosts, I mean, who _wouldn't_ know that one?"

Sonic shook his head. "No, that's the Christmas _Carol_, Shads. I mean the Christmas _story_." The black hedgehog briefly appeared to think. Then:

"Oh, right, you mean the _other_ story. Young _whiny_ guy hating his life gets visited by an angel."

"_No_," Sonic protested, "Shadow, I mean _the_ story everyone associates with Christmas. With the boy? And his family, and the animals?"

"What, _Gremlins_?"

"Shadow!"

"I mean, I know it's a holiday movie, but I had never assumed it was supposed to have had such a huge cultural impact-"

"No! None of these are the Christmas story!" Sonic was grasping at his head.

"But these are what's on TV when it's Christmas time!" Shadow protested.

Green eyes stared at him incredulously. "Didn't Gerald teach you guys anything about this holiday _apart_ from what you saw on telly?"

The black hedgehog shrugged. "Not really. He never considered that cultural stuff that important, our education was more focused on science."

Sonic sank back in his seat. "A guy raised in space with his entire cultural background taken from commercials. The economy must love you."

"I have no idea what you're talking about," Shadow crossed his arms. "And which Christmas story do you mean, anyway? National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation? Miracle of the 34th Street? Jack Frost? Die Hard?"

"No, no, _hell_ no, and where did you even _get_ that last one?" Sonic asked, by now looking at Shadow as if he wondered whether the other one hadn't been so much as _created_, but rather found in a Christmas cracker.

"Takes place at Christmas," Shadow replied with a shrug. Then he cocked his head. "Wait...I think I know what you mean now."

"Oh yeah?" Sonic asked tiredly.

"It's the _Star Wars_ Holiday Special, right?"

"I'm never, ever going to talk to you again."

OoO

"Okay," Shadow said, stepping back to admire their handiwork of an almost straight tree now dominating the laboratory. "What are we going to decorate this thing with?"

"Uh..." Maria hesitated. "Well, I kind of spent all the pretty things we had to decorate the lab with already, so, maybe, I thought..."

She showed him a box. Shadow looked inside and saw that it contained a lot of things, all of them shiny or colourful, but none of them very...traditional. The black hedgehog pointed at one in particular. "Maria, I think those are actually radioactive."

"Yes, but the containers are sealed and they looked so _pretty_!"

The Ultimate Lifeform pinched the skin above his nose. "Fine. I'm immune to radiation, but don't blame me if you manage to get freaky mutant powers for Christmas, then."

"That would be cool," Maria winked. "But my best Christmas present this year is hopefully a date when we can go home, together." She smiled at him. "This might be our first and _last_ Christmas in space, Shadow."

"Hey, you two!" A voice came from the table set up on the other side of the room, where Gerald stood with three glasses of red wine raised. "To our first and last Christmas!"

Both young ones laughed as they took the glasses and clinked them, (completely unaware of a cringing readership watching them...) the small family cheering to each other.

"Ready for some Christmas dinner?" the old scientist asked. "I asked Nate to have some delivered here so we could celebrate just the three of us."

"Fantastic," Maria smiled. "We just have to finish decorating the tree..."

Shadow privately felt a little silly when he tied the bands around the items Maria had chosen to hang up on the branches, but, then again, he had to admit a Christmas tree decorated with polished test tubes, gleaming scalpels, Chaos Drives for colours and bunsen burners for illumination was probably also very, very unique.

"That looks...wonderful," Gerald praised their work, shaking his head with crinkled lips stretched into a smile. "Care to join me for some goose, now?"

"Wow, you really managed to get goose?" Maria asked as she sat down and Shadow was already digging in hungrily, the smell too delicious to ignore. Gerald shifted a bit.

"Well, technically, we didn't have any goose, so I heard the kitchen just fried up some of the fowl lab animals, but-" - There was the sound of someone suddenly gagging on a piece of meat-

"ONLY the ones used in psychological behavior studies," Gerald finished his sentence. "And honestly, when you look at how feral fowl are kept on Earth, these ones are probably more hygienic."

"Right."

Shadow only hoped the dessert wouldn't turn out to be recycled Chaos sludge or something.

xxx

"Heh, that was delicious, grandpa," Maria smiled. "How about we sing some Christmas carols and then open up the presents?"

Shadow nodded amiably and folded his hands on the table.

"Sure. How about 'Deck the Halls with Bowels of Vincent'? I wrote the lyrics myself."

"Or _maybe_ we should just skip to the presents," the blonde girl suggested dryly. "Shadow, Christmas is a holiday of goodwill and cheer, okay?"

"You said the same thing about birthdays and Easter," the black hedgehog pointed out. "Aren't there any holidays of brutal fighting or stuff blowing up?"

"Boxing Day and New Year's Eve, respectively," Maria replied, rising from the table. "But we can't celebrate them here, so-"

There was a sudden flicker of light, and then suddenly, the whole lab sunk into darkness.

"What? Grandpa, what's going on?" Maria asked, alarmed. Her old man sighed.

"I had been worried about that. The mass of Christmas decorations has overtaxed the ARK's power generators, so they shut everything but the life-support systems down. It seems like we will have to open our presents with only the emergency light strips and torches," he said, switching on a flash light.

"That's not fair, I worked so hard on those decorations and now you can't even see them..." Maria moaned, and Gerald put a hand on her shoulder.

"We can still see, my angel. And this is the first Christmas Shadow's been able to celebrate with us, so that's something, right?"

"Yeah, I suppose," Maria replied, trying to smile again but Shadow could see she was still wishing for the lights to come on again. Luckily, her demeanour soon changed when the presents came out. Most of the colourful packets underneath the tree were for her, anyway, Shadow glad that this year he hadn't been surprised like on her birthday and had been able to get something beforehand.

"Bram Stoker!" Maria exclaimed. "Just what I wanted!" She hugged the old tome of _Dracula_ to her chest while both Shadow and Gerald exchanged a relieved glance. While the girl's fascination with vampires seemed to be a continuing thing, at _least _she had moved on from that _Twilight_ horror.

"And a new dress from dad, like every year," she gave a weary smile as she unwrapped the soft package and pulled out the sky blue garment and dark blue blouse, a little bit larger but otherwise the exact same as the clothes she was wearing now. "I wonder what on Earth he will give me as a present when I've stopped growing," she commented, before she saw something else in the packet. "Wait, I think, mom and dad have sent you something this year, too, Shadow..."

"Really?" Black ears perked up. He knew that something of the proceedings during and after the Chaos incident had also made Earth news, but to think that even Maria's parents now thought of him as a real person...

"It's, uh, cat food. I'm sorry, Shadow, they don't know much about Sapients, apparently."

"Oh. Well, okay," Shadow commented, blinking at the two cans wrapped in a bow. "Hey, how about we feed them to a certain military brat-"

"_Goodwill and cheer_, Shadow."

"...yes, ma'm."

"Thank you. Oh, and grandpa, this is from us!"

"It's...a pile of paper?" the old scientist asked, confused.

"All our overdue homework!" Shadow and Maria announced cheerfully, and if Gerald could have, he would have sweat-dropped.

"And this is for you, Shadow," the girl said next, reaching under the tree to pull out the last, square box still sitting there. "Merry Christmas."

"My very first Christmas present, huh?" Shadow asked with a sceptical smile, pulling at the bow to open the box. "Though I gotta warn you, as long as it's nothing you can put ammunition into-"

And then orange light spilled out of the carton over his features and he fell silent.

"Maria..." he whispered, "Is that...?"

"A _Chaos Emerald_," Gerald supplied in awe. "Did you make it yourself?"

"Yes," Maria said, and there was pride in every feature of her face and voice. "It's a fake one I created after I read your research notes and worked on it for months. It has the same wavelength and properties, but is less powerful than the real one, just like the one you made." She smiled at an awestruck Shadow who had just carefully lifted the glowing, amber stone out of its cardboard casing, almost hypnotized by its brilliance. "It should boost your Chaos abilities considerably. Chaos Spear...Chaos Blast...and maybe one day even..."

_Chaos Control. The most powerful technique of them all..._Maria had trailed off, but the Ultimate Lifeform's mind finished the sentence without effort.

"You're right," Shadow replied hoarsely. He could feel the ambient Chaos being drawn toward the stone, like an incredible focus drawing it in, the energy coiled inside and pulsing in time with his heart when he touched it. Looking inside it was like looking at the sun.

And Gerald gazed so fondly at Maria, the proud creator of the stone, as if _he_ had received the present.

"Maria," he said quietly. "I think it's time we enrol you in an Earth university next semester."

Both his grandchildren stared at him

"Professor..."

"Grandpa, does that mean...?"

"Yes." Gerald smiled. "I think I have finally found a way to repair your immune system once and for all. We can return home."

"You have developed a cure?" Both hedgehog and human girl nearly fell over each other as they scrambled to stand.

"My Christmas present to both of you," Gerald said – and was immediately buried in a group hug by the two smaller family members.

"We can go see the Earth, Maria!"

"I can show you my house and everything!"

"We can hope Vincent gets run over by a car!"

"Heh, the only way this Christmas could get any better was if we had any light to celebrate this with..." Maria smiled and hugged her grandfather again.

"Say..." Shadow said, for a moment letting go and looking at his new Emerald again. "This can change the ambient energy into power, right?"

"Yes, but...oooh," Maria commented, a look of appreciation crossing her face. Gerald snipped his fingers.

"Of course! All we need is a converter hooked up to the electric grid and..." he said, already fumbling with a few devices in the background. "If you could just come over here, and attach these clamps to your Emerald, Shadow..."

"Okay..." with his tongue between his teeth, the Ultimate Lifeform did as he was asked. "Now what?"

"We need energy channelled into the stone. Lots of it."

Hedgehog fangs were bared in a feral grin. "Oh, this will be a _blast_..."

xxx

Shadow screamed, yet this time it wasn't pain, but the sheer thrill of power rushing through him as he utilized a Chaos Emerald for the very first time. And if this was a fake one, he couldn't imagine what a real one might do. Streams of Chaos Energy rushed through his consciousness like wildfire, like a waterfall of diamond shards each one reflecting light more blinding than the last, like a thunderstorm on the surface of the sun.

The ARK lit up like a (literal) Christmas tree as sparks were flying out of consoles, machines powering up with whirrs and clicks, and a couple of fuses again blowing up before every light and screen was back on and chasing away the twilight.

"Wow!" Maria exclaimed, "Way to go, Shadow! Everything is back online!" she called and sensitive black ears twitched as the Ultimate Lifeform even thought he could hear cheers from two laboratories away, where parties of scientists toasted each other at this new development (after all, it meant that the _Doctor Who_ Christmas special could be watched after all...). He withdrew his hand from the Emerald with a weary smile.

"Merry Christmas, Maria. Professor," he said and, for the first time, meant it.

"Alright!" Maria cheered. "Then let's make this a _real _Christmas to remember forever!"

If somebody from space had looked through their window at this time, he would have seen the three of them raising their glasses again, eyes gleaming nearly as brightly as the lights of the first spherical Bernoulli space colony ARK. But as it was, the only watchers were the people down on the planet below...and to them, the space station in the sky was unknown, yet shone so brightly in the darkness of the night firmament, that for the first time since more than 2000 years ago, there was a Christmas star in the sky.

_To be continued...

* * *

_Hi there! Well, here's finally the last installment of this year's Christmas fanfic bonanza and hopefully a well-timed Christmas gift to all of you that I managed to get up just in time. Over here Christmas is celebrated on the eve of the 24th which explains why I got all my presents yesterday and Shadow and co get theirs right after Christmas dinner, but I think, calculating time zones, this should be right on time for anyone who celebrates it the British or Anglosaxon way on the morning of the 25th. :D And now, I've spent eight hours decorating the massive tree in my house yesterday and now I have to watch it doesn't burn down because there's real candles atop it, so...I hope you liked, and I'll see you all next year! (I'll get around to the review replies, no worries ;) ) Happy Holidays!


	49. Unexpected

Hi there! Hiatus is over! Review Replies will follow soon. :)

* * *

**Chapter 49: Unexpected**

Maria was pacing the white, sanitized and featureless corridor nervously. If there had been a clock, she would probably have glanced at it at every turn, but aboard the ARK, where no natural sunlight ever shone to turn night into day, people cared little for time - except to keep up an artificial rhythm with a neon pretense for a sunrise. Right now the last of the Robtniks didn't even know whether the ticking of a clock's hands would have helped re-assure her that time was indeed passing and she wasn't trapped in some nightmare limbo, or whether it would have driven her mad. The blonde girl stopped her pacing at this point and forced herself to take a few deep breaths to calm down. Maria had often read in her novels and magazines that hospitals on Earth had a smell that was the same everywhere, and right now she wondered whether this also was the case here, in the hospital aboard the ARK.

_This family spends too much time in waiting rooms..._

Her fists clenched. The air smelled of sanitizers, filtered and lifeless. An environment where absolutely no germ could threaten a patient's life. An environment much like the sterilized room she had had to live in at first when NIDS had broken out in her four-year-old body, before her grandfather had taken her away with him to live in space, far away from any uncontrolled nature that could hurt her. More than ten years she had spent floating among the stars now, gazing at the planet that had once been her home from windows only. Of the past five, she had much fonder memories than of the rest, filled with a black-furred hedgehog holding her hand, playing, arguing and studying with her, and growing up at her side. Even now, crimson eyes looked at her fondly from memory – and the girl had to shake her head quickly to stop that particular thought. She didn't need this now.

There were so many things she didn't need any more.

Maria bit her lip. She had been standing in this corridor for nearly half an hour now, waiting to be let in, waiting for _him_ to wake up.

xxx

"_Grandpa...are you sure we will be alright?"_

_Gerald turned around, looking at his two charges. Maria and Shadow were both sitting up in their respective beds, fixating him with their gazes – his granddaughter looking faintly worried, his adoptive grandson's expression unreadable as always. The oldest of the Robotnik family took a breath. _

"_Maria, you and me know that there's no medical procedure in the world that works how it should with a hundred percent certainty. But I did all I could and I..." he paused and then smiled. "I have faith in both you and Shadow." _

xxx

Maria leaned her forehead against the cold steel of the metal corridor. At least Vincent had had the grace to stay away. Ever since Shadow had been admitted to the hospital, he had just seemed curiously amused, but, at least to her knowledge, had not tried to enter her friend's room. Thin fingers ran through tangled golden hair and the young scientist again tried futilely to calm herself.

And convince herself it hadn't been her fault.

_But he only did it because of me..._

Nails bit into the palms of her balled fists hard enough to nearly draw blood. Not that she cared. The days of living with Death as companion, of having to fear each common cold like one would a deadly virus, the days of living like a crystal statue in a glass case were over – the procedure had been a success. For Maria, the corruption NIDS had wreaked on her system had been repaired. They had been planning to return to Earth...

But now it wasn't Maria's health which was the problem. Because while the treatment had worked as it had been intended and she had been cured...

...it had never been meant to corrupt Shadow's system instead.

xxx

"_Don't worry, Maria. When this is over, we can go to Earth, remember?" _

"_...yes," she replied, for the first time smiling again since the preparations had begun as her friend spoke to her, crimson eyes as always utterly sincere. "Go to Earth together."_

"_About time," the Ultimate Lifeform replied with a wry smile. "We've been waiting for that date long enough."_

"_Me longer than you," she reminded him, even if they both knew it. It had been barely two weeks after the invasion of the artificial Chaos aboard the ARK when Professor Gerald had finally announced it. The cure for NIDS had been found. They would be able to save Maria. _

"_Of course," Shadow agreed. Then he grinned, that rarest of expressions that sometimes still hinted at the child he had once been, as he added, "Who knows, when we get back to Earth maybe my DNA will have turned you into a human-hedgehog hybrid. That would be kind of cool." _

"_Shut up!", Maria retorted, even if she couldn't swat at him in the adjacent bed as they were both pretty immobile, hooked and hard-wired to Gerald's apparatus by more needles and tubes than they both wanted to count. The old Robotnik had explained the process he had worked out to both of them (even if Shadow had needed a few simplifications compared to his brainiac sister) and in the hedgehog's mind it had basically boiled down to the idea that both their immune systems would be hotwired into each other, there would again be nanites involved to stop things from getting messy, and the aim was for Maria's damaged cells to be gradually repaired or be replaced by modified cells from Shadow. It helped somewhat to at least know the __reason__ when you were currently bleeding slowly through a multitude of tubes and needles deep in your body. _

_Slowly, a thin arm only partially covered by a hospital gown still managed to lift itself toward the other bed. _

"_Friends 'till the end." Maria's voice was quiet, but black ears heard it well enough. A dark-furred hand with a jagged, spiral-like red pattern on its back raised itself and joined hers between their beds. _

"_Yes. I promise you, Maria." _

Barely a day after the operation had been over, Shadow was admitted to hospital.

xxx

The door was opened and she was finally permitted to enter the brightly lit hospital room where her friend lay under the sheets, spiked head propped up by torn cushions, his form outlined under white. His body had swollen from the disease and she could see how the short fur of his face was matted, damp with sweat. He was in pain...

"Shadow..." she whispered.

"Ma-maria?" At the sound of his name, the hedgehog's head had turned and now blood-red eyes were blinking, trying to focus on her form past the machinery at his bedside keeping a check on his vitals. A spasm almost immediately let his eyes squeeze shut and face contort, though, and Maria's heart seized up in sympathy.

"Oh, Shadow..." she immediately hurried over to him, letting herself drop into a crouch next to the bed, and wrapping her hand around his. "How bad is it?"

"...not...great..." the raspy voice of her friend answered. "The doctors say...it might not be long now..."

"Shh, Shadow, don't talk if you're not feeling to well," Maria hushed him. "I'll be here with you. And grandpa, too. You'll get through this," she said, forcing her face to remain cheerful, forcing her lips to form words that she herself had been told so often, not knowing whether what she said was true. It had been nearly a month since Shadow had started feeling sick, but it was still seemed so alien to see her friend in distress. Often it had seemed to her that the black-furred hedgehog had always been the stronger one in their relationship, the tougher, more resilient fighter of their duo. It had been him who had helped her hold on when she had felt like she couldn't go on any more. It had been him who had withstood countless battles, injuries and scientists injecting him with downright poison. Now it almost tore her heart in two to see him helpless like this. It just seemed _wrong. _

"They said...the process is accelerated...because of my Sapient body, if I were a human, it would have taken...longer..." he was panting now, as if he had already difficulty breathing. His voice broke whenever another spasm or contraction lashed through his body and a hand of his was clutched to his abdomen where the pain seemed to be originating from.

"Would you like something to drink?" Maria asked, trying not to let herself get distracted by the hustle and bustle of different doctors around her. She had heard they even had flown in a Sapient medic, given the special circumstances. Her grandfather had been working around the clock as well, trying to figure out how exactly Shadow could have 'caught' something like that from her.

"Yeah," Shadow managed, reaching out for the glass on his night stand. "Could you...?"

"Sure," Maria was quick to comply. Shadow's bed was the only one in the room, and besides them there were three other doctors and two nurses inside, one of whom had opened the door for Maria.

"Thanks," the black hedgehog replied as he was handed the cup. "You wouldn't have by any chance a cream-and-cucumber sandwich with you as well?"

"What? No. That's a disgusting combination," Maria replied, screwing her face up. Shadow shrugged, then frowned at the assembled personel in the room, still checking over monitors and reading their charts and notes.

"Do these people all have to be here? I'd like some more privacy."

"I'll ask grandpa to send them away if they don't have to hang around," Maria rose to approach Gerald, who was just involved in a discussion with what seemed to be the Sapient doctor, even is his height was that of a human. It seemed to be an...aquatic or amphibian species of some kind, Maria wasn't too good at identifying non-mammalian Mobians. But he was furless and had a greyish sort of skin, and there seemed to be a...fin-like structure poking through the back of his white labcoat.

"Grandpa, Shadow is a bit uncomfortable with all these people here. Can we send them away?" Maria asked.

"Of course," Gerald nodded. "I was thinking that anyway, it is about time and we don't want to...ahem, upset him at this point."

"I can hear you, you know?" a somewhat annoyed voice stated on the other end of the room.

"Lie back down, Shadow. Doctor, if you would be so kind...?" Gerald looked at the Sapient, who nodded.

"Of course. I shall ask them to remain on stand-by outside, if any complications should arise. Rest assured, Professor, this isn't the first time I have had to assist under...let's say, less than ordinary circumstances," the fish-creature said, grinning and thereby showing off a startlingly brilliant and white set of teeth.

"Thank you," Gerald replied and both he and Maria returned to Shadow's bedside. The elderly scientist tried a smile.

"Don't take this too hard, Shadow. We could be witnesses to a miracle."

"It's insanity, that's what this is. And I'm the, ah, victim here," the Ultimate Lifeform grated back, but flinched again, when another spasm of his body let him grit his teeth in pain. And then his eyes suddenly went wide as power rings.

"Professor, I think it's starting!"

"What? Quick, doctor, come back, Shadow is ready!" Gerald called out, and the Mobian in the lab coat immediately turned around as he had ushered the last of the nurses out of the door.

"Already?"

"Yes! Come quick!"

There was another groan of pain from the black hedgehog and Maria held his hand again. "Just keep breathing, Shadow. It will be over soon."

"I...friggin hope so..."

"Alright, try to remember the techniques I showed you," the Sapient Doctor piped up as he tried to steady Shadow, and, just for a moment, Maria could see a tail that more resembled a fin underneath his lab clothing, and now she was fairly certain – he had to be a shark.

"Incidentally, what is your name, Doctor?"

"Me?" the Mobian briefly looked into her direction. "My name is Doctor Jump and I will help your friend to deliver his baby. Nice to meet you!"

"Dr. Jump?" Maria repeated. "That means your full name is 'Jump The-'?"

"Aaaah!" A cry of pain from Shadow interrupted them and their conversation was interrupted. The shark now leaned forward, muttering calming advice to Shadow under his breath, while the hedgehog only managed to shoot a weary glare at Maria in between.

"You put this in me. It was your cells running amok in my body that caused me to grow this!"

"It's not an 'It', Shadow, it will be-"

"There it is!" Dr. Jump called out, as, with a final push, the birth was completed. Maria had not been quite able to see _where_ it had come out, due to the shark obscuring her vision there for a moment, but then a definite, healthy cry rang through the room and the four faces of father, mother, great-grandfather and delivering doctor broke out in smiles.

"Is it a girl?" Shadow asked. "If yes, we could name her 'Shadria'..."

"That sounds wonderful," Maria agreed. "Or, if a boy, how about 'Gary'? But I think that should be a double-name..."

"It's neither," a delighted Dr. Jump interrupted the two new-born parents.

"Congratulations, Mr. and Ms Robotnik, you have given birth to healthy April Fool! Only slight brain damage."

_To be continued..._

xxx

_Uuuuh, yeah. Taranea, continuing the tradition of horrible April Fool chapters and traumatizing her readers in the progress.^^° I whole-heartedly apologize for any mental scars, but I am not very good at resisting an opportunity like this. Also taking this as a chance to announce that YES, hiatus is over, next multi-chaptered fic to be updated will be Advent of Equinox and Life could have been so different soon after, I made it home from Morocco intact, and, if any of you wanted to know, reason for leaving un-announced boiled down to tests, application to Japanese universities, essays due (and they're still due, but I did take a time-out for this...), job-hunt, more tests and cramming, and a book fair in Leipzig this time. See you soon! _

(Now, due to the wonders of ctrl+c, above text will be repeated to make it seem more like a regular chapter at first glance. You can stop reading here. ;) _)_

xxx_**  
**_

Maria was pacing the white, sanitized and featureless corridor nervously. If there had been a clock, she would probably have glanced at it at every turn, but aboard the ARK, where no natural sunlight ever shone to turn night into day, people cared little for time - except to keep up an artificial rhythm with a neon pretense for a sunrise. Right now the last of the Robtniks didn't even know whether the ticking of a clock's hands would have helped re-assure her that time was indeed passing and she wasn't trapped in some nightmare limbo, or whether it would have driven her mad. The blonde girl stopped her pacing at this point and forced herself to take a few deep breaths to calm down. Maria had often read in her novels and magazines that hospitals on Earth had a smell that was the same everywhere, and right now she wondered whether this also was the case here, in the hospital aboard the ARK.

_This family spends too much time in waiting rooms..._

Her fists clenched. The air smelled of sanitizers, filtered and lifeless. An environment where absolutely no germ could threaten a patient's life. An environment much like the sterilized room she had had to live in at first when NIDS had broken out in her four-year-old body, before her grandfather had taken her away with him to live in space, far away from any uncontrolled nature that could hurt her. More than ten years she had spent floating among the stars now, gazing at the planet that had once been her home from windows only. Of the past five, she had much fonder memories than of the rest, filled with a black-furred hedgehog holding her hand, playing, arguing and studying with her, and growing up at her side. Even now, crimson eyes looked at her fondly from memory – and the girl had to shake her head quickly to stop that particular thought. She didn't need this now.

There were so many things she didn't need any more.

Maria bit her lip. She had been standing in this corridor for nearly half an hour now, waiting to be let in, waiting for _him_ to wake up.

xxx

"_Grandpa...are you sure we will be alright?"_

_Gerald turned around, looking at his two charges. Maria and Shadow were both sitting up in their respective beds, fixating him with their gazes – his granddaughter looking faintly worried, his adoptive grandson's expression unreadable as always. The oldest of the Robotnik family took a breath. _

"_Maria, you and me know that there's no medical procedure in the world that works how it should with a hundred percent certainty. But I did all I could and I..." he paused and then smiled. "I have faith in both you and Shadow." _

xxx

Maria leaned her forehead against the cold steel of the metal corridor. At least Vincent had had the grace to stay away. Ever since Shadow had been admitted to the hospital, he had just seemed curiously amused, but, at least to her knowledge, had not tried to enter her friend's room. Thin fingers ran through tangled golden hair and the young scientist again tried futilely to calm herself.

And convince herself it hadn't been her fault.

_But he only did it because of me..._

Nails bit into the palms of her balled fists hard enough to nearly draw blood. Not that she cared. The days of living with Death as companion, of having to fear each common cold like one would a deadly virus, the days of living like a crystal statue in a glass case were over – the procedure had been a success. For Maria, the corruption NIDS had wreaked on her system had been repaired. They had been planning to return to Earth...

But now it wasn't Maria's health which was the problem. Because while the treatment had worked as it had been intended and she had been cured...

...it had never been meant to corrupt Shadow's system instead.

xxx

"_Don't worry, Maria. When this is over, we can go to Earth, remember?" _

"_...yes," she replied, for the first time smiling again since the preparations had begun as her friend spoke to her, crimson eyes as always utterly sincere. "Go to Earth together."_

"_About time," the Ultimate Lifeform replied with a wry smile. "We've been waiting for that date long enough."_

"_Me longer than you," she reminded him, even if they both knew it. It had been barely two weeks after the invasion of the artificial Chaos aboard the ARK when Professor Gerald had finally announced it. The cure for NIDS had been found. They would be able to save Maria. _

"_Of course," Shadow agreed. Then he grinned, that rarest of expressions that sometimes still hinted at the child he had once been, as he added, "Who knows, when we get back to Earth maybe my DNA will have turned you into a human-hedgehog hybrid. That would be kind of cool." _

"_Shut up!", Maria retorted, even if she couldn't swat at him in the adjacent bed as they were both pretty immobile, hooked and hard-wired to Gerald's apparatus by more needles and tubes than they both wanted to count. The old Robotnik had explained the process he had worked out to both of them (even if Shadow had needed a few simplifications compared to his brainiac sister) and in the hedgehog's mind it had basically boiled down to the idea that both their immune systems would be hotwired into each other, there would again be nanites involved to stop things from getting messy, and the aim was for Maria's damaged cells to be gradually repaired or be replaced by modified cells from Shadow. It helped somewhat to at least know the __reason__ when you were currently bleeding slowly through a multitude of tubes and needles deep in your body. _

_Slowly, a thin arm only partially covered by a hospital gown still managed to lift itself toward the other bed. _

"_Friends 'till the end." Maria's voice was quiet, but black ears heard it well enough. A dark-furred hand with a jagged, spiral-like red pattern on its back raised itself and joined hers between their beds. _

"_Yes. I promise you, Maria." _

Barely a day after the operation had been over, Shadow was admitted to hospital.

xxx

The door was opened and she was finally permitted to enter the brightly lit hospital room where her friend lay under the sheets, spiked head propped up by torn cushions, his form outlined under white. His body had swollen from the disease and she could see how the short fur of his face was matted, damp with sweat. He was in pain...

"Shadow..." she whispered.

"Ma-maria?" At the sound of his name, the hedgehog's head had turned and now blood-red eyes were blinking, trying to focus on her form past the machinery at his bedside keeping a check on his vitals. A spasm almost immediately let his eyes squeeze shut and face contort, though, and Maria's heart seized up in sympathy.

"Oh, Shadow..." she immediately hurried over to him, letting herself drop into a crouch next to the bed, and wrapping her hand around his. "How bad is it?"

"...not...great..." the raspy voice of her friend answered. "The doctors say...it might not be long now..."

"Shh, Shadow, don't talk if you're not feeling to well," Maria hushed him. "I'll be here with you. And grandpa, too. You'll get through this," she said, forcing her face to remain cheerful, forcing her lips to form words that she herself had been told so often, not knowing whether what she said was true. It had been nearly a month since Shadow had started feeling sick, but it was still seemed so alien to see her friend in distress. Often it had seemed to her that the black-furred hedgehog had always been the stronger one in their relationship, the tougher, more resilient fighter of their duo. It had been him who had helped her hold on when she had felt like she couldn't go on any more. It had been him who had withstood countless battles, injuries and scientists injecting him with downright poison. Now it almost tore her heart in two to see him helpless like this. It just seemed _wrong. _

"They said...the process is accelerated...because of my Sapient body, if I were a human, it would have taken...longer..." he was panting now, as if he had already difficulty breathing. His voice broke whenever another spasm or contraction lashed through his body and a hand of his was clutched to his abdomen where the pain seemed to be originating from.

"Would you like something to drink?" Maria asked, trying not to let herself get distracted by the hustle and bustle of different doctors around her. She had heard they even had flown in a Sapient medic, given the special circumstances. Her grandfather had been working around the clock as well, trying to figure out how exactly Shadow could have 'caught' something like that from her.

"Yeah," Shadow managed, reaching out for the glass on his night stand. "Could you...?"

"Sure," Maria was quick to comply. Shadow's bed was the only one in the room, and besides them there were three other doctors and two nurses inside, one of whom had opened the door for Maria.

"Thanks," the black hedgehog replied as he was handed the cup. "You wouldn't have by any chance a cream-and-cucumber sandwich with you as well?"

"What? No. That's a disgusting combination," Maria replied, screwing her face up. Shadow shrugged, then frowned at the assembled personel in the room, still checking over monitors and reading their charts and notes.

"Do these people all have to be here? I'd like some more privacy."

"I'll ask grandpa to send them away if they don't have to hang around," Maria rose to approach Gerald, who was just involved in a discussion with what seemed to be the Sapient doctor, even is his height was that of a human. It seemed to be an...aquatic or amphibian species of some kind, Maria wasn't too good at identifying non-mammalian Mobians. But he was furless and had a greyish sort of skin, and there seemed to be a...fin-like structure poking through the back of his white labcoat.

"Grandpa, Shadow is a bit uncomfortable with all these people here. Can we send them away?" Maria asked.

"Of course," Gerald nodded. "I was thinking that anyway, it is about time and we don't want to...ahem, upset him at this point."

"I can hear you, you know?" a somewhat annoyed voice stated on the other end of the room.

"Lie back down, Shadow. Doctor, if you would be so kind...?" Gerald looked at the Sapient, who nodded.

"Of course. I shall ask them to remain on stand-by outside, if any complications should arise. Rest assured, Professor, this isn't the first time I have had to assist under...let's say, less than ordinary circumstances," the fish-creature said, grinning and thereby showing off a startlingly brilliant and white set of teeth.

"Thank you," Gerald replied and both he and Maria returned to Shadow's bedside. The elderly scientist tried a smile.

"Don't take this too hard, Shadow. We could be witnesses to a miracle."

"It's insanity, that's what this is. And I'm the, ah, victim here," the Ultimate Lifeform grated back, but flinched again, when another spasm of his body let him grit his teeth in pain. And then his eyes suddenly went wide as power rings.

"Professor, I think it's starting!"

"What? Quick, doctor, come back, Shadow is ready!" Gerald called out, and the Mobian in the lab coat immediately turned around as he had ushered the last of the nurses out of the door.

"Already?"

"Yes! Come quick!"

There was another groan of pain from the black hedgehog and Maria held his hand again. "Just keep breathing, Shadow. It will be over soon."

"I...friggin hope so..."

"Alright, try to remember the techniques I showed you," the Sapient Doctor piped up as he tried to steady Shadow, and, just for a moment, Maria could see a tail that more resembled a fin underneath his lab clothing, and now she was fairly certain – he had to be a shark.

"Incidentally, what is your name, Doctor?"

"Me?" the Mobian briefly looked into her direction. "My name is Doctor Jump and I will help your friend to deliver his baby. Nice to meet you!"

"Dr. Jump?" Maria repeated. "That means your full name is 'Jump The-'?"

"Aaaah!" A cry of pain from Shadow interrupted them and their conversation was interrupted. The shark now leaned forward, muttering calming advice to Shadow under his breath, while the hedgehog only managed to shoot a weary glare at Maria in between.

"You put this in me. It was your cells running amok in my body that caused me to grow this!"

"It's not an 'It', Shadow, it will be-"

"There it is!" Dr. Jump called out, as, with a final push, the birth was completed. Maria had not been quite able to see _where_ it had come out, due to the shark obscuring her vision there for a moment, but then a definite, healthy cry rang through the room and the four faces of father, mother, great-grandfather and delivering doctor broke out in smiles.

"Is it a girl?" Shadow asked. "If yes, we could name her 'Shadria'..."

"That sounds wonderful," Maria agreed. "Or, if a boy, how about 'Gary'? But I think that should be a double-name..."

"It's neither," a delighted Dr. Jump interrupted the two new-born parents.

"Congratulations, Mr. and Ms Robotnik, you have given birth to healthy April Fool! Only slight brain damage."

_To be continued..._


	50. Going to Hell

Hi there! Uhm. Yeah, has been a while, hasn't it?^^° BUT, I said I *will* finish all my stories, so here is the next chapter, leading up to the Grand Finale! No lengthy introduction, except _thank you_ if you are reading this, and I'll yammer on some more after this chapter's over. ;) It takes a while to get going, but I think it delivers in the end. :P Please enjoy!

* * *

**Chapter 48: Going to Hell**

"Alright," said the blonde girl behind the checkout counter, "one spacial annihilator, two Chaos drives, one jar of sulphuric acid, that comes to a total of...2977.99, please," she counted the items up and smiled at Shadow expectantly. The Ultimate Lifeform looked at the bills and coins in his hand. They turned out to be worth 7.56 dollars, or Mobian rings. Shadow frowned.

"Maria, we don't have that much money to play shop with!"

The former checkout girl, who also was the daughter of the most famous scientist alive, laughed at that point and finally put the laptop that had been a stand-in for a register away.

"_I_ know," she said, "but still, that's the market price for these items. Most space station technology and lab equipment doesn't come very cheap, you know?" she asked, poking her tongue out at him. When Shadow only responded with a flat stare, evidently not only questioning the entire set-up of this role-play now but also the sanity of his friend, she relented.

"But, tell you what, I'll give you a special cute and spiky discount and make it 2.97, just for you. _Bargain_, right?" she asked, imitating the typical voice pitch of any used-car salesmen the two had seen on TV shows so far. Shadow sighed and paid, even taking the receipt Maria wrote out to him (on the back of her homework) so it was just as realistic as the granddaughter of Professor Robotnik wished. After all, as she pointed out, this was _training._

It was late January now, but sometimes it still seemed to Shadow as if it had been only yesterday when they had celebrated Christmas aboard the ARK and Gerald Robotnik had given both of them the greatest present of them all: _a date to go home..._

Well.

Home for Maria, at any rate. For Shadow, finally going down to Earth was a completely new adventure, and evidently one that Maria wanted to prepare him for as meticulously as possible.

"Do you want to play the shop clerk now?"

"Only if we can change the game to Guerilla War In The Grocery Store this time around."

Shadow just wasn't taking to it with much enthusiasm, despite his human companion insisting on its necessity.

It wasn't even long to now. The date for the shuttle they would board to fly to Earth was in early February, shortly before Shadow's fifth birthday. Maria was so excited about them being to celebrate it in their new house, with an actual _life_ ahead of them all at last. Gerald had finally completed the procedure to cure the illnesshis granddaughter suffered from, NIDS, a disease that would likely have killed her young body years ago, if he hadn't whisked her away at the age of four to live out her days floating among the stars, in a space station where the air was germ free and filtered, and no harmful micro organism could survive outside a lab in a petri dish.

Maria Robotnik had been a brilliant, but frail child, sometimes spending more days in bed than outside of it, but of course, that had changed. Had changed a lot during the last five years, ever since the creation of Project Shadow, the Ultimate Lifeform and her best friend since he could remember. She had grown stronger and more energetic, Gerald already having experimented with transfusions of treated blood plasma, leucocytes and proteins from Shadow to Maria, the vastly superior immune system of the black hedgehog what he believed to be the key to saving his grandchild. And it had been working brilliantly. The final step was now supposed to be a transfer of spinal bone marrow so Maria wouldn't even be dependent on transfusions anymore but instead would be able to develop a working immune system on her own...

"'Guerilla War in The Grocery Store' is not very realistic, Shadow."

"According to Earth TV it totally is," the black hedgehog replied, unimpressed, taking a closer look at the coin from Maria's homeland he was holding between forefinger and thumb, but without much interest. Next to him on a table lay one of his old picture books from his childhood before Professor Gerald had taught him to read, and it was opened on the big double page displaying a super market with the typical maniacally happy cartoon characters of children's books buying things that looked about ten times more healthy than the average contents of a shopping cart in reality. Imitating the situations in the book had been Maria's idea. Upon their return, Maria would be starting at Metropolis University in April, one of the most prestigious institutions of higher education on the planet, which had already welcomed her application with open arms.

As for Shadow, no one was yet quite sure how the Ultimate Lifeform, now a trained weapon of mass destruction, would be best integrated into society, or what he should do after they'd settled in. Gerald was thinking of enrolling him in driver's school, for starters. Shadow (who secretly still had one tattered page of the first motorcycle ad he had ever seen from a random magazine stashed away somewhere in his night stand) didn't object.

"Shadow, we've been over this. Simply watching television does _not_ prepare you for actually living down on Earth. It's not how things work."

"But it's called _Reality TV._"

"Yeah. But if you think you can get away in real life with _any_ of the stuff they show on 'Reality TV' shows, the first thing you're going to see of my home planet is the inside of a jail cell," Maria pointed out patiently. "Which is why we're doing this stuff. After all, maybe you'd like to continue with your final year of High School and take the SAT test so we can go to uni together?" she asked, with an encouraging side glance at him. Shadow shrugged. Mainly thanks to Gerald's tutoring, he had been able to get a schooling certificate from a long distance school for children with travelling parents that would enable him to get a proper job if he so desired. If he wanted to go to college like Maria though, it would be an additional year of schooling, and the Ultimate Lifeform, raised in an environment of scientists, geniuses and laboratories and therefore endowed with a natural curiosity about how things worked, thought that this would most likely be the case. But maybe a bit of travelling first...

"Hey, let me see a smile when it's about your future," the blonde girl nudged him at that point again. "After all, even an Ultimate Lifeform would be happy about some friends at his new school and you don't get any by scowling at them like that."

"Meh. If any of the people down there are like Snivelly or the Commander's brat, I don't need their friendship," Shadow stated, briefly glancing down through a window at the blue planet down below.

"Even if you don't need their friendship, you need to learn how to be around others. Chaos-blasting fellow High School students through walls is no way to deal with people you don't like on Earth," Maria replied reasonably.

Shadow made a face. "Then why are we even going down there?"

At which point Maria gave him a playful shove and Shadow let her; in truth, he was almost a bit worried that she might have a lot less time for him once they were no longer confined to the space colony he had grown up in but had a whole planet to roam.

_But that shouldn't even matter. The only important thing is that Maria is happy. _

"Come on, don't pretend to be such a grouch. I mean, some of these simulations _were_ fun, right? Playing restaurant?" she asked.

"I'm not gracing that question with a reply. I'm actually thinking you're just using me to get any girl stuff done and out of your system that you couldn't as a kid," Shadow replied dryly, and Maria shot him a grin.

"Can't hide anything from you, can I?" she asked a bit guiltily, before adding, "But at least you learned that you don't ask the waiter to take you into the kitchen to 'see what looks best', right?"

Shadow shrugged. "It always worked up here in the canteen with Nate," he said.

"Only because Nate likes you and me," Maria pointed out, smiling at the thought of the elderly dark-skinned head of the cooking staff who had sometimes even allowed them to use the kitchen for midnight pancake baking. "How about we go again over how to ride busses and trains?" she suggested instead, packing away the things they'd used to play shop.

Shadow raised an eye ridge. "I can travel at over 600 mph with my rocket skates. Why would I want to use public transport?"

Maria shot him a look. "_You're_ the one who starts complaining when they turn the thermostat aboard the ARK down at night. I don't want to hear what you'd say if you had to go anywhere on foot during Earth _winter_."

"Ah. Seasons. Right," Shadow nodded again, running a hand through his quills. The idea that the entire environment changed noticeably every three months still seemed more than alien to the black hedgehog, who only could imagine something akin to the transforming Pokemon Stadium stage _in __Super Smash Bros. _

"Which reminds me, we get down there when it's still really wet and cold. Have you looked at the magazine for any jackets or something yet?" she asked, sliding her laptop back into its bag and shouldering it, preparing to leave the storage room they had hijacked for their pretend grocery store that had stocked space ship replacement parts. Shadow shook his head.

"Nah. I had a look at the stuff inside, but I didn't really like anything," he said, and it was true. In her never-ending enthusiasm his friend had somehow managed to procure a catalogue for male Sapient clothing and asked Shadow whether he wanted to wear anything apart from gloves and shoes for a change, to perhaps fit in better on Earth. Shadow had studied the various pictures of Mobians on the pages with mild interest, but couldn't really bring himself to want any of the displayed articles, except perhaps for a leather jacket he'd liked, but that had been worn by a sleek-looking jaguar and hadn't had any holes in the back for his quills, so he had abandoned that particular project. Besides, he hadn't actually worn neither pants nor a shirt in his entire life, so he thought that it would probably just a) feel really, really weird, and b) either restrict him or get torn to pieces as soon as he got into a fight, anyway.

"It'll be fine, Maria. We'll have all the time in the world to get things we like once we're down on Earth," Shadow said, for the first time since they'd started with their training session actually giving his sister a real smile, which she readily returned.

"Yeah. Not long to go now. And it will be _incredible."_

OoO

Once again, Sonic looked outside at the night sky, wondering whether there would be a sunrise soon. Shadow had come here at nightfall, when a storm had been raging, an unwelcome guest in Sonic's house, who had only wished to be left alone, ever since his younger brother's death. Of course, the black hedgehog had not let himself be driven away, holding little regard for the depressed hero's wishes – especially since Sonic had given him an opening to talk. _Why is your life so goddamn perfect when I have just lost everything that mattered to me!, _the broken hero had yelled at him, at which Shadow had pleasantly inserted, _Now what do you really know about my life...? _

_And I can't believe he has been *talking* ever since,_ Sonic privately thought.

At this moment, the black hedgehog was still relaying the last weeks before the catastrophe, how he and his best friend had been dreaming of their life down here on the planet, both red and blue eyes shining when they talked of all the things they would be able to see together...

Sonic's fingers clawed into the cushions of the couch seat he was sitting on, not wanting to be reminded of oh-so-similar conversations he had had with Tails. But at the very least the hurt wasn't quite as bad any more, not since – after hearing an entire life time told to him, even if one quite different to his own – he had actually realized he still_ wanted _to live himself. Could see things, for himself and his little brother together. This night had felt like ages, as if it really had taken more than five years to listen to Shadow's exploits aboard the ARK, as if it had filled in all of the empty months he had spent holing himself up in an empty house after Tails had not survived their last adventure. Green eyes travelled over to the window once again, having lost all sense of time but looking for any hint of the dawn, yet all Sonic could see was that now the stars had vanished and it seemed somehow even blacker than before.

They said that before the dawn it was _darkest_...

OoO

Gerald Robotnik was cleaning up.

It was the first time he'd ever done so for over 10 years, or just about the time when his grandchild had arrived to live on the space colony ARK and thrown his life into turmoil, when his entire existence had become a race against time to save Maria from dying.

But now that he had achieved that, it was time to get out the vaccum cleaner.

Well. To be more precise, it was time to either finish, make ready for transfer or abort old experiments, that during his time aboard the space station had piled up in no less than six separate laboratories. Now that Gerald was planning to at last spend some time with his family on Earth, catch up on all those years he had only had the barest minimum of time for Maria, other scientists would need that space while he was gone. He intended to return to ARK eventually, of course, but only after Maria and Shadow would have settled in for a while, or maybe after Maria's parents, Gerald's son Colin and his wife, would be happy to take Shadow in with them as well. He really wanted to give both of them a normal life now...

The old scientist sighed, at the same time opening a glass cabinet that still held some old cell samples he had taken from various experiments years ago. The fact that he rarely if ever allowed any colleagues into his private labs, combined with a mind that was a bit scattered at the best of times, made for a clean-up that was a work-out. Gerald glanced at the label of the samples and saw with some surprise that the cells inside had once been taken from Shadow, some time before he had been shocked into life and some after; and _then_ he nearly dropped the dish when he beheld the vial behind it. Unlabelled, uncatalogued and with an unrecognizable opaque black liquid inside, but Gerald knew exactly what it was: the blood of Black Doom that he had injected Shadow with, what seemed like a life time ago. Just before he had finally managed to awaken the first of his experiments ever.

_The blood that undoubtedly made him as talented with Chaos Energy as he is..._

To this date, not even Shadow himself knew what Gerald had done. The old professor had been too scared to tell anyone after Black Doom's unannounced visit, and the threats the alien overlord had made how Shadow was supposed to eventually become their tool to collect the seven Chaos Emeralds. Gerald knew that was grounds enough to get him convicted for High Treason, at least. Instead, he had been working tirelessly on the Eclipse Cannon so that it would be ready when the comet carrying the aliens would return and prevent Earth from falling, humanity from getting erased. Until now the only record of the encounter was only Gerald's private diary, lying encrypted on the servers of ARK – one more document he would have to wipe when he left.

Guiltily, Gerald put the vial with the remaining blood into the breast pocket of his lab coat, planning to take it down to Earth, neither daring to destroy it or leave it here. The next thing would be to deal with the cell samples...maybe just take a final look at them before cleaning them up as well? The old scientist pulled up a microscope. Even if they technically should have died by now, anyway...

Gerald adjusted the microscope, peered into it, and frowned. Then he took the cell sample out, inserted it into a different microscope and had a closer look. Then he eventually got up, inserted the sample into yet a _different_ apparatus and looked at it for quite a while. And when he had finished, Gerald Robotnik knew he had possibly made the greatest discovery in history and there were only two people alive in the world whom he would ever be able to tell.

xxx

Meanwhile, entirely unaware, those exact two people were busy making trying to sushi.

"Maria. I don't think this is working. There is rice in my fur _everywhere _and I think you managed to get a piece of fish stuck on my quills."

'Trying' being the keyword here.

"Oh ha-ha, Shadow. We're learning, okay?"

"Well, how about _you_ try to make these damn things while wearing hairy gloves, you furless monkey wom_ah_, hello, Professor! Hadn't heard you coming in, how's things?" Shadow's sentence had changed abruptly at the entrance of their head of the family, and the Ultimate Lifeform now silently contemplated why exactly you shouldn't mock-insult the granddaughter of your creator who also engineered weapons of mass destruction during a coffee break. But the old man seemed barely aware even of what the black hedgehog had just said.

"Shadow. Maria. There is something I need to talk to you about."

The blonde girl's smile she had been wearing until now vanished at his tone, and her own expression changed into an anxious, but controlled one. Blue eyes stared back at her grandfather, just as piercingly as his concealed behind the dark glasses.

"Is it something about the final operation?" she asked, her voice masking any emotion that might have betrayed her features.

"Well..." Gerald seemed to hesitate. "Not exactly. Though it is something that might affect it." He looked at Shadow and the hedgehog felt ready to tense up, unsure of what was coming next. When his creator spoke again, the only thing he could do in response was blink.

"Shadow, I think you might be immortal."

OoO

"Okay..." Sonic phrased this word slowly, and then proceeded to utter the same thing Shadow had, back during the time when Gerald had told him first. "_What_?"

"Well, it was basically a very simple thing." The black hedgehog shrugged. "The professor discovered that some of the cell samples he had taken from me years ago were impossible to date because they hadn't aged. Not at all."

"Uh-huh," Sonic replied, though he still looked at the black hedgehog as if he wasn't really understanding this at all. "But didn't you say earlier that you _can _die? You were actually pretty graphic about it, I think," the blue hedgehog added with a wince.

Shadow steepled his fingers. "'Immortal' doesn't have to mean 'indestructible'," he replied calmly. "In this case, the Professor simply had found out that I presumably will never die of old age."

"All from a few cells?" Sonic raised a sceptical eye ridge.

"Well, as he explained it to me, very simplified, there are certain parts within cells that change when the cell clones itself to form daughter cells before the mother cell eventually dies off," Shadow said. "Eventually, these parts, after an innumerable amount of a cell splitting and reproducing, will have changed in a way that the cell will not continue to reproduce any more. That means that from your birth on, your death of old age is determined and unavoidable."

OoO

"But with me..." Shadow quietly tried to prompt the Professor to continue when he had said much the same (albeit in a lot more complicated way) to him as he had just explained to Sonic. The old scientist looked at Shadow and sighed.

"But with you, your biological clock was stopped before you ever woke up to see the light of this world."

"...and what does this mean?" Red eyes returned the gaze of Gerald unblinking, their owner looking a bit lost now, despite of everything he had already been through and survived. This was new territory.

"Mostly, it will mean a huge responsibility, Shadow, that will come with the time," Gerald said, and then hated himself briefly, knowing that it was him in part that had caused it. Shadow, his creation, was only five years old, but already faced with potential eternity...

"Well. Mostly it will come in about half a century from now. That is when Black Doom will return."

OoO

"Okay, right, stop it here," Sonic interrupted for the second time in as many minutes, holding both hands up. "I can get on board with you being immortal or whatever, your genetic make-up is weird enough as it is – but now this Black Doom thing is actually, like, a _thing_? At the time I was thinking you were pulling my leg..."

"No," Shadow replied, not looking away from the blue hedgehog sitting on the chair across him, now staring back at him with huge, freaked-out eyes. "It's true, otherwise I wouldn't have told you. The Professor told me that the reason I had lived when all of his other experiments had died was that he had injected something alien into my system before he awoke me, and it had changed me – my appearance, my Chaos powers, even my genetic code."

"Yeah, you mentioned your views on upward- versus downward-pointing quills already, and it was offensive," Sonic remarked dryly, before changing to a more curious tone again. "So that means you're actually part _alien_? And..." and here his expression turned slightly worried, "if this is actually real, didn't that Doom guy say earlier when he _would_ return he wanted to take over the planet?"

"Unfortunately, yes." Shadow himself didn't look too happy about it. "At the time, you can imagine this hit pretty hard. Professor Gerald also told me how Black Doom had said how he could basically end my existence any time he wished if I would not cooperate and get the Chaos Emeralds for him when he returned-"

"Yes, I remember," Sonic interrupted. "That was _also_ the time you had me freaking out because you were telling me these bacteria by now were also living in _my_ body because blood from our wounds had exchanged back when we were fighting during the _Biolizard_ adventure."

"Ah. Yes. Well, that was not entirely true."

"_It wasn't?_"

"Not quite," Shadow continued a little smugly now. "Basically, the Professor had also found out that those bacteria had been rendered virtually inactive by the first Chaos Blast I ever channelled when I was three and posed little harm to any organism they lived in now."

"So you only told me I was going to die because...?" Sonic asked, fingers drumming dangerously on one of the armrests now.

"Couldn't have you lose interest in the story early, now, could I?" Shadow asked with a smirk, and just before the blue hedgehog could actually get up and _test _the Ultimate Lifeform's immortality claim, the story was already continuing.

OoO

There was moonlight falling through the window of Maria's cabin, and while Shadow didn't even know what it felt like to have it fall onto your skin unfiltered through glass, it was still calming to the friends, who were right now sitting on Maria's bed, staring out into space and not really seeing anything at all.

"So no complications for the operation."

"Yeah. At least there's that," Shadow replied. It was the first words he had spoken since all of them had retired to their rooms.

"But there might be a crazed alien overlord coming and-"

"Let's not talk about that. That won't happen for decades, okay?" Shadow asked, and Maria fell silent. After a moment of not saying anything at all, the Ultimate Lifeform instead let himself lean a bit against the side of his now taller best friend. "Let's focus on getting you down to Earth alive first, okay?"

"Okay."

Her body shifted as well, her head coming to lie on top of his, years of practice living with a best friend who belonged to a different species having taught her how to avoid any injury by quills in close contact. Shadow closed his eyes for a moment, a rare feeling of peace overcoming him just for now, even within all the crazyness of the last twelve hours. With Maria next to him, him resting against her side and feeling the weight, warmth and miniature movements of her living, breathing body leaning against him felt reassuring in a way nothing else ever could. He almost thought he could fall asleep like this...

_BAM!BAM!BAM!_

"MARIA! Open the door, I _know_ you're in there!"

Except, of course, for the only guy sucking harder than a black hole in Shadow's opinion, right now banging at their door.

"I need to talk to you. And to the mutant."

"You open the door and I shoot him. We can claim it was an accident," Shadow mumbled, still refusing to open his eyes and privately hoping the son of Commander Graves might just starve in the corridor.

"Shadow, three months back you saved his life."

"If I had known he'd continue to be a nuisance I would have let him be eaten by the Artificial Chaos gladly," the black hedgehog grumbled, only thinking back with reluctance to the time when the ARK's security system had gone crazy and he and Maria had had to battle their way through a space station infested by liquid-like lifeforms, and he eventually had ended up having to save _Vincent_ of all people, who had been isolated in the station hospital at the time. (At least Shadow had had the small consolation that it had also been he himself who _put_ him there, but...) Nevertheless, in the end that adventure had at last turned out to be what let Vincent's father grant Shadow some sort of civilian's status and rights, a very important turn of events for their plans to live on Earth. But it was in moments like these when Shadow was still wishing Vincent had at least sustained some damage to his voice box back then...

"Maria, I need to talk to you. This might be the last chance."

"Okay, okay, I'm coming! Shadow, you behave."

"Whatever," Shadow grumbled and slid down the bed to lean against a wall as Maria stood up and strode toward the door to put in the security code to let Vincent in. "But only if he does, too."

"I'm sure he will," Maria replied calmly, although there was a definite intake of shocked breath from her as soon as the door slid open. Shadow raised one eye ridge and glowered from his dark corner, outwardly unperturbed, though Vincent's apperance made even him uneasy. He hadn't seen the teenager ever since he had brought him back, unconscious, to his father, before also blacking out, but it didn't seem like the human had done very well for himself in the intervening time.

"Vincent? Why did you come here?" Maria asked, but the grey-haired boy didn't immediately reply. He stood in the doorway, swaying a little, his mis-matched eyes blood-shot today and darting around the room, as if looking for anything, flashing when they found Shadow staring back. His face was pale, sweaty, and his clothes looked like they hadn't been washed or changed in a while. Under his arm he was clutching a laptop.

"There's...plans you and your family are going down to Earth soon, I heard."

"...yes. We'll be leaving in less than three weeks." Maria's reply was concise, but a little hesitant. The departure of the Robotnik's was public knowledge on the space station, but everyone also knew that Vincent, the only other kid on the colony and a boy who had been obviously crushing on the blonde girl, wouldn't be leaving with them. Despite being friends earlier, what seemed like a life time ago, Maria hadn't really talked with Vincent ever again after she had chosen to believe Shadow when the hedgehog had claimed that the Commander's son had actually tried to kill him. And then Maria and _Shadow's_ friendship had almost fallen apart when the hedgehog had nearly murdered the human in retaliation. Needless to say, things were...awkward now.

"No," Vincent shook his head, his voice raspy now, and actually swayed a little on the spot, before almost managing to focus enough to fully look at the blonde girl before him. "You won't be going back."

"What?" Maria asked, a little irritated now. Then her nose wrinkled a bit and her tone turned noticeably colder. "Vincent," she said. "I feel a little bit clichéd saying this, but you've been drinking, I think. Maybe you should go back to your room." _Before your father catches you. _

"I...did somethin'," the teenager said, ignoring her words, his own speech now the tiniest bit slurry to Shadow now that the hedgehog was paying attention. The Ultimate Lifeform had never been intoxicated in his entire life, but he had seen some soldiers at night. Way back when, when he had first been taken away by GUN to be trained to become a living weapon, he had actually been glad to be locked up in his cell at night. Sometimes there had been drunken guards outside and they had suggested...having 'fun' with him. Seeing Vincent in that state did nothing to lessen the loathing Shadow felt when looking at his would-be murderer.

"Vincent?" Maria asked, now actually a little bit concerned. "What did you do?"

"Jus'...somethin'. With this," Vincent said, a bit carelessly swinging the laptop under his arm around so Maria had to take a quick step back to avoid getting hit. Shadow stepped out of the shadows, eyes already flashing dangerously. "An' now we might all...I mean, I don' mind me. Or my stupid father. ''n' specially not _him_, " the grey-haired teenager added, glaring at Shadow now approaching with a growl in his throat. But then he turned back to Maria, and his face creased in anger became almost pleading again, mis-matched eyes full of sadness that could have been genuine. "No one b' you, Maria...no one but you..."

"Okay, that's _enough_," Shadow cut in, stepping up next to Maria and squaring his shoulders while glaring up at the Commander's son. "You're being a creep and you're freaking her out. Leave. Now."

"Maria...'m so sorry it'll be you 's well..." Vincent didn't even appear to hear him, but only grabbed Maria's arm, the blonde girl pulling out of his grip immediately, her expression now a mixture between severe discomfort and a sort of pity you couldn't have driven out of her with a sledge hammer.

"No, Vincent. I don't understand what you're saying and I don't think _you_ even do. Go to bed. Sleep this off. We can talk about me leaving in the morning," she said, not uncaring but with an undertone of steel while Shadow was giving the human an unmistakeable 'Leave-or-I-will-_make_-you-be-sorry'-death glare. Inexplicably, Vincent's face only transformed into an almost, inhuman, sickly smile at her words and he gave a few chocking laughs, before coughing and then again shaking his head. When he spoke again, his voice sounded like that alcohol might have been the first liquid he had ingested in days.

"No. Doesn't work like 'is, Maria. Doesn' matter, 'nyway. There will _be_ no mornin'. For none 'f us. I think I loved you. Once. But it's _his_ fault tha' it didn't work out," Vincent hissed suddenly, raising his tone when looking at Shadow who had now actually pulled out the orange Chaos Emerald that had been Maria's Christmas gift and looked ready to use it. But before he could, all anger was already gone from Vincent's stance and he only looked at Maria, sadly. "'n' now it never will. Goo'bye, Maria. You were the on'y good thing about this hellhole 'n space."

He turned around after saying that and walked away again, his gait slumped like a man broken, and when he looked back at them once, his eyes looked like they were already dead.

"What," managed Shadow afterwards, "was_ that_."

xxx

Moonlight was shining into the lab, but there was one Professor who did most of his best work at night. Gerald was working now, but it was finally only the last traces of his clean-up. Now it was mostly computer work, namely transferring any files he needed to an external storage he was going to take with him, and also, most importantly, deleting and shredding the encrypted diary he kept, the only document detailing his meeting with Black Doom and the 'deal' he had been forced into, in exchange for Shadow's life. He had just made a final entry and hoped that he might have at least been done with surprises for today. Gerald looked at the history of the file briefly before wanting to download it, wondering how large it might have gotten during his years battling the boundaries of science aboard a space station among the stars...

Gerald blinked and frowned. It was late and he was tired, but something in the file log had suddenly caught his attention. It was a download, a little while ago, a download of a file that should never have in anyone's hands but his.

Gerald's blood froze as he saw the IP address, and his throat constricted so tightly, it was for a moment as if Black Doom himself was strangling him now, just like he had more than four years ago.

"No..."

xxx

"No idea. Probably he's just drunk," Maria shrugged as they made their way back to her bed again, slumping down while Shadow was still playing with the orange Emerald in his hands, its glow now softly illuminating both their faces. The blonde girl lay back against the pillows, and her gaze slowly travelled out of the window before she refocused back on Shadow. "But you know, even ignoring him being butthurt about us leaving..." she gave an almost wistful smile. "Maybe I'll miss being so close to the stars."

"Well..." Shadow grinned back and held out the gem stone in his hand. There was a twinkle in his eye and suddenly the Emerald _flashed_ and Maria made a surprised little sound, her eyes growing wide a bit at the unexpected light.

"You learned to manipulate it?" she asked excitedly immediately afterwards and Shadow only grinned wider.

"I have been practicing. I was actually going to keep it a secret, but...tomorrow, I wanted to give you a fireworks show. To celebrate our two-week-countdown for our trip."

"Wow, Shadow, really?" Maria looked at him with wide eyes, excited at this announcement like only a school girl that was simultaneously a Chaos Energy researcher could be.

"Uh-huh. And, if you ever get homesick for the stars on Earth, I can light for you a firework every night, if you want to," the black hedgehog replied and added, with a wink, "I'd even let your grandfather stitch genetically engineered wings on my back to take you there."

Now Maria laughed.

"Nice, but not necessary, Shadow. I'm gonna be a rocket scientist, remember? I'll be able to take us up there whenever I want to," she replied, grinning. "If you can't figure out how to do it faster with that Emerald, that is," she added.

"Heh, yeah," Shadow agreed, looking at the gem stone Maria had created for him, a copy modelled after the real Chaos Emeralds found on Earth. He had been practicing with it, but not done much apart from light shows yet, though he knew there were other things an Emerald could do...

"But probably not tonight. Let's go to sleep and _not_ emulate my crazy grandpa the insomniac?" Maria suggested, and Shadow nodded.

"Okay. Mind if I sleep here? Don't really feel like going out in case that Vincent guy is still hanging around and I forget myself..." Shadow let that sentence trail off, and Maria nodded.

"Sure. Just scooch over, I'll just go brush my teeth..."

It was a peaceful picture in the room some time later, the two friends lying on the sheets curled into each other, warming the other one enough so that there was no need for blankets. The emerald had been safely stashed into Shadow's quills again, and now the black hedgehog actually looked more relaxed than you would ever see him during daytime, crimson eyes closed and a somewhat relaxed smile on both their faces, the two of them probably right now continuing their conversation in their dreams.

The gunfire started in the middle of the night.

_To be continued..._

* * *

Heh, so there's that. The fic's going to be finished after all, and my other stories as well. ^^° The reasons for this incredible delay and my complete disappearance for which I am *so* incredibly sorry, that was so much longer than previously - well, if you were wondering, it mostly boiled down to first summer academy in Italy (saw Venice! very awesome) , then a little trip down to Lake Constance and *then* packing and moving to Japan for a year abroad. Currently typing this in Osaka, and Japanese universities be c-razy, so I barely had time to do *anything* but study. Had a week during Christmas holidays in Tokyo, but not much else. :P Right now it's spring break, tho, so fic away! :D Will see to it that Burning Arrow will get an update next, and Skyblaze is working on Advent of Equinox. ;) Lastly, thanks so much to anyone who still read this thing after all this time, and I would love to hear your thoughts of the chapter, even if there was much set-up and tie-up and the real meat will be in the next one. I'm also in the process of answering anything that piled up during the last few months...also, for some reason my PM-feature seems to have been disabled for a while now, let me assure you, NO idea how this happened. Open for PMs again, anyway.^^ Please read and review!

PS: We also have new FANART! Please check profile for details! :)


	51. The End of All Things

Aaaaand here we go. The penultimate chapter of 'Life Could Have Been So Different', the fic that in its concept stage was supposed to be three chapters long in total. That was approximately six years ago...

Anyway, huge thanks to any of you who are still reading and commenting! I hope you enjoy this second-to-last installment, I tried to make it a chapter worth waiting for. ;)

* * *

**Anonymous Review Replies! **

**God1432: **What can I say, I wish I still had free time like in High School...

**Gues**t: Thanks, will do! :)

**Guest**: Aw, shucks. :p

**Sherland:** No worries, that's fine. As long as I don't have to reply in Spanish, because speaking is a lot harder than reading it. XD I hope you'll find everything you were hoping for/dreading to in this chapter! I love hearing where all the readers come from, the internet is kind of amazing, I usually think :) Thanks for the comment!

**Guest:** Aahah...ahahaha...this...actually gets updated *less* than He Is My Master...oh dear.^^° But at least you don't have to worry about it going unfinished, that's something, right?! Thanks for the review, glad you like it!

**inujisan:** Errrr, yeah. Real life can be a bit of a bitch, sadly...but hey, at least we're still alive, right? :D Er. That was maybe a bit tasteless of me in regards to the new chapter...XD

** God1432**: This story is set before Black Doom will attack. Sonic is kind of worried, because he only now found out that there might be that alien invasion waiting in the future.

* * *

**Chapter 49: The End Of All Things**

Sonic had noticed a change in Shadow's expression during the last, disquieting turn the story had taken. The black hedgehog's expression now was one he had not seen before, the entire figure in the seat opposite to him a far cry from the Mobian who had come into his house during the last day's twilight, and had been staying through this night full of storms and stars. Back then, Shadow had seemed easy-going and relaxed, just an acquaintance and semi-friend who had come to see whether he couldn't get through to the broken hero of Mobius, and somehow, this had turned into a re-telling of the life of the Ultimate Lifeform – which had nevertheless somehow managed to bring Sonic back to life as well.

And despite all the horrors and heartbreak the memories had contained, Shadow's tone had sounded..._glad_ as he retold most of the events, especially when it had come to the time he had been able to spend with Maria. But now that tone was gone, and Sonic knew what was coming next. This was finally to be the tale of the last night the two friends had spent aboard the ARK. And how quiet it had been before the storm.

_Like the prelude to a catastrophe..._

Sonic swallowed. For some reason, much like when he had earlier thought he would now listen to Shadow cold-bloodedly murder someone, it was somehow hard to speak.

"Shadow..." the blue hedgehog began and the Ultimate Lifeform looked up, red eyes serious and dark. Sonic took another breath. "I know how it is to-" He broke off, started again, tried different words to dance around the same issue. "You don't have to tell me this part if it's too..."

Shadow finally mercifully interrupted him.

"Few people know what happened that night," the Ultimate Lifeform said, and his tone this time was careful, deliberate, his face expressionless. Red eyes had wandered up to the ceiling as if the black hedgehog could see the events of his past playing out in the shadows of the room. When Sonic was about to open his mouth to at least try and say something, they focused on him again.

"Some deserve to know."

OoO

Shadow the Hedgehog's life had hardly ever been easy. He had been forced to fight and to kill, to let himself be experimented on in set-ups that would have cost the life of any other research subject, and more often than not, he hadn't even been sure whether his best friend would live to see the next day when she was sick. In his sleep, Shadow the Hedgehog was no stranger to nightmares.

But this night he only woke up when he realized that the screaming he heard wasn't in his dream, but in reality.

"_Maria! Shadow! You need to kkkkhhhch-!" _

"Pro-professor...? Maria! Wake up!" Shadow had been disturbed first, his fine hearing and soldier's instincts putting an end to his slumber the moment irregular noises emanated somewhere in the vicinity.

"Mmuh? Wha? Shadow...?" the blonde girl that had been lying next to him in bed blinked sleepily, hair in total disarray. "What is going on...?"

"The professor was on the intercom. Something bad is happening," Shadow replied tersely, already out of bed and over at the speaker embedded into the wall next to the door. Tension was rolling off every muscles in his body.

"Professor? Can you hear me? Please reply."

"Shadow..." Now Maria was making her way toward him still slightly unsteady. She had fallen asleep in her clothes, too wiped out to bother changing. Her blue dress and blouse were as rumpled as her hair and the sparse, night-time lighting of her room gave her dark hollows under her eyes. Shadow was pushing the button of the intercom, trying to establish a connection, his lips a thin line on his face as he attempted to contact Gerald whose voice had woken them up.

"..._ria! You need to evacuate! GUN has found out about the origins of Project Shadow and they're coming to exterminate-!_"

Gerald's voice was high-pitched and reedy in panic, both Maria's and Shadow's eyes abruptly widening, the two mismatched siblings immediately exchanging a glance that was a mixture of sudden adrenaline and a sick feeling in the pit of the stomach.

"Professor!" Shadow at once shouted again. "Where are you! Tell me your location and we'll come get you-!"

"_I'm -kzzht- kitchen – no, go...scape caps...! Don't trust-"_

"_Professor Robotnik!" _A new voice suddenly interrupted Gerald on the other side, which both Shadow and Maria recognized as that of the elderly kitchen chef, Nate, that had often broken rules and regulations to let them play in his realm when they had felt like trying to make pancakes in the middle of the night. He also sounded frightened, but perhaps like he was keeping it just a tad bit better together than Maria's grandfather at the moment. "_...leave NOW! They...door down any...econd!" _Nate's voice could be heard, before suddenly sounding much closer to the speaker.

"..adow, Maria," the cook was saying, "if...hear me, make your...escape capsules, I...with the Professor!"

There was a gun shot, and for one horrible second, Shadow wasn't even sure whether it had come from the speaker or from in front of their door, and which alternative was worse.

"Shadow, we need to leave!" Maria was already slipping on her shoes with one hand, her other on the button that would open the door to their room. "They'll corner us if we stay here!"

"Right," Shadow replied, just turning to the intercom for one last transmission.

"Professor, we're making our way to the closest escape capsules," he said quickly. "Stay with Nate. He knows the shortcuts through the kitchens to the closest evac pods." The black hedgehog swallowed. "See you on Earth."

"_Shadow..."_ the old man's voice sounded a bit less distorted now, like a strange, last bubble of calm before the firestorm would envelop them all. "_I'm...sorry. My betrayal of Earth - my contract with Black Doom may have just cost us all our lives..." _

"It won't cost Maria's, Professor," Shadow said, and now his voice sounded like steel.

"I _promise._"

And with that there was an explosion on the other side and the transmission finally cut off. Maria had opened the door of their room and then she and Shadow had already burst out into the corridor of the space colony that had been their home and was now possibly to be their grave.

"There's two sets of escape capsules nearby, where shall we go?" the blonde girl asked and Shadow grabbed her hand.

"The explosions are coming from the rec side. Let's head left," he replied, having to raise his voice to make himself understood over the din of the sirens, the explosions and the gunfire emanating from the right end of the curving corridor, noises that he knew would catch up to them soon enough. Maria nodded and the pair started running, Shadow pulling along his sister as fast as he could without making her stumble, vividly reminded of the last time they had to race against time through these stainless steel corridors when artificial Chaos attacked.

But that time, they had been defending their home.

Now they were trying to escape to a planet he had never been to, and those same people sharing their home were now trying to kill them.

Red lights of blaring alarms were splashing across Maria's skin with crimson colour as they ran, and Shadow had to imagine her dead on the floor, smeared with blood from a gunshot wound and nearly felt sick.

"Shadow, I think they're getting closer!"

"I _know!_" Shadow shouted back as they had to briefly stop in front of another sliding door that marked the entrance to the lab area and Maria hurriedly hammered in the code.

When the door opened, they stepped into carnage.

"-!" Maria screamed, but at the same time had reacted quickly enough to smother her own cry with her hands so no one inside immediately noticed them. The soldiers were too busy shooting.

The scientists were too busy dying.

It was a huge, open-plan laboratory where up to twenty of the younger research fellows had been performing their experiments side by side every day. Now it was a corral where soldiers were shooting into a group of young men and women trying to hide behind desks, fridges, trying to escape through the door if only there had been a pause in the gunfire, and Shadow and Maria were watching it all, frozen with shock for only a second.

"Shadow...save them."

It was a whisper, but Shadow wouldn't need to have heard it to know what it was that she said. And he knew they didn't have time. And he knew they couldn't afford to stop, couldn't afford to fight.

And then a man was gunned down in front of them and he flung himself into the fray anyway.

"_CHAOS SPEAR_!"

The lance of lightning tore through the big, communal laboratory hall, slicing equipment in half and immediately attracting the undivided attention of any armed GUN personnel in the area. Shadow hoped this way they at least wouldn't notice Maria still in the doorway.

"It's the experiment! Shoot i-!" The man who had tried to shout a command didn't get much further than that as Shadow was already tearing through the room like an avenging angel, and his hoverskate landed straight in the soldier's face, knocking the human clear into a wall. Shadow didn't stop to see whether he had left his victim alive or dead, instead whirling to face the other soldiers that up until now had been busy gunning down the civilians or shooting up the laboratory - _presumably on orders to destroy evidence of this massacre,_a cynical part of his mind supplied glibly.

Bullets whizzed past his ears as the uniformed men tried to level their guns at him, futilely trying to score a hit on the living weapon of mass destruction that had already evaded robots with reflexes so much faster than a human anyway. A kick of rocket skates against a steel table sent the heavy lab furniture flying into their bullet hail as if it had been a plastic IKEA contraption. Sparks lit up on it like shooting stars where projectiles hit the steel surface to ricochet crazily across the room, before it squarely hit a woman in uniform in the chest, taking down her as well as another soldier who had stood at her side, the man crumpling like an afterthought.

"Surround him!" one of the soldiers yelled as Shadow landed gracefully in the (now cleared) centre of the mayhem, for one second a calm eye of the storm. Out of the corner of his eye he could see the surviving scientists trying to crawl away, some of their white coats stained unmistakeably red and sticking to their bodies in unnatural places. They were trying to escape from the lab and he hoped they would make it – but hopefully _not _take the last escape capsule with them. Then the ring of armed soldiers around him asked for his attention again.

"How nice of you to line up," the Ultimate Lifeform remarked, even if he knew no one was likely to listen anyway. But they _did_ hear his next words.

"_CHAOS BLAST!_"

It wasn't an uncontrolled explosion like it had been such a long time ago when he had been strapped to a laboratory table in the ill-fated experiment that had claimed the lives of six scientists. The Chaos energy blasting through the laboratory now was a technique controlled by a master; and Shadow knew exactly how far and how brutal he wanted the Chaos to lash out. The soldiers were flung back like scarecrows in a storm, limbs folding at awkward and wrong angles where they collided with the walls in their way. But none of the civilians (and of course Maria) had been hit in the explosion, and Shadow barely spared the falling bodies a glance as he turned around to look for his friend.

"Shadow!"

He didn't have to look for long. Maria came striding toward him in a hurry, her dress smeared with what Shadow recognized as the all-purpose nanite-healing gel his creator had developed, and which came in capsules, that you basically just needed to throw at people who were hurt. Maria had obviously been scurrying around the laboratory trying to help the injured, even if some of them probably already had been beyond the point of what any medicine in the world could do. Shadow's mouth set in a hard line as a part of him thought just how twisted this world had to be that the scientists and soldiers shot down today in front of them had not even been the first men and women they had both seen die.

_Why did this have to happen now?! Just before we could have returned to Maria's home...!_

The black hedgehog had to forcefully shut that train of thought down. If they wanted to survive this, he couldn't allow himself to be distracted. Maria had reached him now, and he could see how she, too, was shaken, but was trying hard not to let the carnage they had just passed through paralyze her or send her into a panic.

"Thank you...for saving them. At least some," she said, and her voice trembled only ever so slightly. Amid the bodies it had to sound like a joke to anyone who would be watching this, Shadow figured, the two teenagers standing in what had been a lab and was now a graveyard between the stars. But at the same time he knew it was important to say things like this, even in situations like these, because if you didn't, it meant you had lost something in the fire...

"We need to leave. More will be coming," Shadow said quickly, taking her hand again, preparing to lead another mad dash across the space colony, hoping against hope both he and his sister would make it to the escape pods alive.

"Wait." Maria had taken a step forward, but had then stopped. She released his hand and reached down toward one of the...dead? unconscious? soldiers. "Here. Take this."

Shadow stared for a moment at the rifle she was holding out to him. Only now he noticed that in her other hand, she was holding one that was just like it, a weapon taken from fingers that had already stopped moving...

Shadow reached out and his hands closed around the rifle with a familiarity that Maria's hands were so obviously lacking. He gave his sister, who had never made a secret of her contempt for killing tools a bit of a quizzical glance.

"You are taking a gun as well...?"

Maria only glanced at him briefly, before giving her weapon an examining look, and then expertly sliding the safety toggle into 'armed' mode. She met his gaze again, and this time, her voice didn't even tremble a little.

"I am a _Robotnik, _Shadow. Don't ever forget that." Her jaw set. "And it's set to 'stun only', as is yours. _Don't_ you shoot to kill if you don't have to, understood?"

Shadow blinked. There was steel in his sister's eyes, and for a moment it somehow managed to look even more dangerous than the rifle he held in his hands.

The Ultimate Lifeform for some reason couldn't help but give the faintest ghost of a smile.

"Yes, ma'am."

Maria nodded. "Good."

She took his hand. Shadow pushed the button that opened the door of the lab leading out to the other side. And then, on a way that was hell between the stars, the two youngest Robotniks were crossing the ARK with both guns blazing.

OoO

Sonic had been staring silently at Shadow for the past ten minutes as the black hedgehog's tale had now been steadily descending into its final and darkest chapter. Outside, he wondered whether dawn was waiting to rise behind the horizon or whether something might have happened to the sun and the new day might never come after all. The blue hedgehog swallowed.

"So that's how it really happened?" Sonic asked. "The catastrophe?"

Shadow nodded. "Yes. GUN had found out about the professor having made a deal with Black Doom, however inadvertently that might have been. Compromising Earth's safety and keeping it a secret equalled High Treason." The black hedgehog looked to the side. "These were the...consequences."

"'Consequences' that meant killing everybody aboard the ARK?" Sonic asked again, and now there was that familiar righteous anger audible beneath his words. A hero that had just found out about an atrocity that had been kept quiet...

"Pretty much," Shadow confirmed the question. "Strictly speaking, a lot of the experiments going on aboard the ARK hadn't been exactly in line with ethics regulations. The space colony had been primarily intended for biological and medical research, like the line of work that led to my creation. GUN ordering the scientists to develop weapons of mass destruction like the Eclipse cannon, or turning myself into one had never been officially green-lit by the government or the United Nations.

Of course, we didn't know that at the time," Shadow said before Sonic could speak, his tone now only sounding slightly bitter. "But they already weren't able to keep it quiet forever. Information about some of the more martial research going on aboard the ARK had started to leak out. Nothing was on the news yet, but back then, the executive board of GUN was already in trouble and trying to find a way to hush up what they had been doing for the last three years."

Sonic blinked, grabbing the armrest of the couch as details for him were beginning to fall into place. "So that meant when GUN found out about Professor Robotnik's deal-!"

"They saw it as a perfect excuse to wipe any evidence of what they had been doing and destroy everything on the space colony in the name of 'Public Safety'. A necessary military intervention to stop the illegal research aboard the ARK, that then 'tragically' turned into a massacre as the scientists resisted, " Shadow finished Sonic's sentence, a cynic, humourless smile tugging at the edge of his lips. "They had planned to frame the Professor as the guilty party, any evidence of weapons research as the private exploits of a madman. My corpse was probably supposed to be the main exhibit," Shadow added darkly, "The most important project of Gerald Robotnik, put down because he had turned it into a raving killing machine."

"But the people on the colony, they had _seen_ you save them!" Sonic protested. "During the invasion of the Artificial Chaos!"

Shadow raised an eye ridge. "And that night the GUN personnel had been ordered to slaughter any witnesses that could have testified to that. Your point being...?"

The blue hedgehog was looking at him now, but seemed to have trouble to find any words that would have been able to express what he wanted to say. Shadow could see the fury burning beneath the surface of those green eyes, mingling with the horror caused by knowing the truth of what had really happened aboard the ARK. Of course, GUN had succeeded in hushing things up in the end. Of course in the media it had all been presented as nothing but a terrible accident. But even if there was nothing that could be done now, even if everything was already in the past, Shadow thought this was at least..._something_. Sonic was now railing against the same injustice he had wanted to rail at and curse back then, and Shadow couldn't help but wonder whether by telling this story, Sonic wasn't the only one he had made feel better.

"How did they even find out about what your creator had been doing?" Sonic asked and interrupted Shadow's thought process. The blue hero's voice was tense, his posture on the couch now more coiled up energy, as if the entire hedgehog wanted nothing more badly than to leap from the sofa, to _right_ things in a world where so much was wrong...

When Shadow replied, his own hands for the first time turned into fists as well. The black hedgehog's gaze darkened.

"Who do you _think_ told them?"

OoO

"_Find them before they escape!" _

Shadow's world had shrunken in the last five minutes. By now, his clouded mind wasn't even sure, could barely remember whether the universe even contained anything but steel corridors flooded with blood-red lights, sirens blaring in their ears and screams being cut off by gunshots. He could hear Maria's panting louder than everything else. At least it meant she was still alive.

Another shout came from the soldiers behind them and Shadow released the hand of his sister, whirling around to fire at their pursuers with impeccable aim. The three men dropped like flies, their nervous systems shutting down in fractions of a second from the electrical impulse. He turned back into the direction they had been running in again, briefly froze as he saw _another _soldier in front of them, aiming to shoot-

A blast from Maria hit him straight in the chest and he crumbled.

"Good work," Shadow managed, before grabbing her hand again and already hurrying on. Behind them, the sounds of boots on steel were already audible again, beating as loud as their hearts.

Running.

Pounding.

Counting away their last seconds like a clock of death.

"There!" Maria panted, coming to a halt in front of another metal door in the corridor they were in, and started to type in the access code as quickly as she could. Shadow's eyes were meanwhile roving up and down the corridor like nervous birds, the seconds it took to open the sliding door to the escape pods pure and utter torture. He didn't know whether the Professor had managed to escape or even if he was still alive. He didn't know if they would be safe if they made it into an escape pod. And a stray bullet at any time could end them both.

"We're in!" Maria's voice came through, the blonde girl grabbing him and trying to pull both of them through the door that was now sliding open so painfully slowly. Shadow shot a last glance outside as he pressed himself through the gap after Maria, couldn't see anyone catching up to them, not yet, but they would come soon, and they needed to get into a capsule _now_-!

Shadow was thinking all of this and more when he promptly collided with Maria's back as he pushed forward into the room.

"Maria?" he asked, "Why'd you-?"

And then he stopped as he saw the reason why _she _had stopped.

They weren't alone in the pod bay.

Shadow took a step forward.

"_You_."

Mis-matched eyes stared back at him, and Shadow thought it shouldn't be possible to feel so much hatred, or be faced with it in return.

Vincent Graves, laptop still clutched in his hands, was staring at him only for a second, before he immediately had levelled a gun at Shadow.

"What are you doing here?! You should _never _have made it this far!" he yelled, and it was only then that everything finally clicked into place in a brain that before had simply hoped this couldn't be true.

"It was you," Maria said, tonelessly. "You called GUN. You told them of Black Doom. You are the reason everyone out there is dying."

"Your grandfather is a _traitor_!", Vincent shouted back, his voice hoarse, but apparently the alcohol now out of his system, leaving only blodshot eyes and pale sweat behind. "It was his fault in the first place! Everyone but me was just to stupid to _see_ it! Even my father, even _now, _sending me to the escape pods instead of in the fight for justice!" he scathed, slightly swaying now, either the exhaustion or the adrenaline making his movements a bit unsteady, his gait just a bit unnatural. But Shadow could see how he was still calculating his moves, making sure that he was still blocking their way toward the escape pods at every second, keeping his gun pointed straight at Shadow.

"No. The professor only researched for the benefit of mankind. The people dying right now are dying because of you. This is _all_ your fault," Shadow said, and he could feel the Chaos roaring inside himself again, ready to obliterate Vincent and everything, asking him, _begging_ him to lash out with a lethal spear instead of this puny stun gun...

"Well, if you want them to stop dying, then why don't you let them shoot you?" the son of the Commander shot back, a slightly manic grin on his face now that didn't look like it belonged there. "They're mainly looking for you, freak. Once they got you, everything stops."

Shadow didn't reply. Instead he raised his own gun.

"For you it stops here."

Two shots rang out across the ARK, both as loud as anything in the ears of the three teenagers, and at the same time barely audible in the apocalypse breaking loose in what had once been their home together. Both shots found their mark.

But only Shadow's had been meant for something alive.

"_NO_!"

It was Maria who screamed, and Shadow only realized that she wasn't screaming for Vincent when he saw what she was looking at.

The steering console of the escape pods, now with a burnt black hole where Vincent had shot it, had just given a last spark and died.

"No! No, no, no, NO!" Maria had dashed over in a heartbeat, and was already staring at the smoking electronics, her fingers flying over the non-responsive buttons and the dead screen, scrambling at it like a drowning man would grab even at a boat that was sinking.

"Did he break it?!" Shadow was at her side instantly, tossing his gun carelessly to the side where it clattered next to Vincent's lifeless form. He didn't know what to make of most of the electronics, especially now that the screen was no longer displaying any instructions. Outside, he thought he could already hear the gunshots getting closer again, sirens still blaring shrilly in their frantic rhythm, as if this was the heartbeat of the ARK and it was now finally dying.

"The, the remote controls have been completely destroyed," Maria was saying, and Shadow thought that right now it was taking all she had to keep it together, trying to take deep breaths, staring blankly at the controls before her. "This means we have to use the manual override. That lever there," she said, pointing at a stick next to the console board without even looking up. "That means..." and now her gaze finally met Shadow's, and her face was as ashen as if she had already died.

"That means to operate it someone has to stay behind."

XXX

Sonic raised an eye ridge. "That sounds like the stupidest design ever."

Shadow glowered. "_Bite_ me."

XXX

Back then, it only took a second for Shadow to reply.

"...alright," he said, although his voice sounded just slightly more hoarse than it had before. "Get into a capsule. I can hear them coming."

"What? No!" Maria looked at him, eyes wide and head shaking frantically. "It's _you_ they want, you idiot! You have to leave, now!" She tried to pull him toward one of the capsules, but Shadow broke her hold as easily as a doll's. Red eyes narrowed as he broadened his stance.

"I can take anything they want to throw at me. Leave, Maria. Now."

"_They will kill you and you know it_!" the blonde girl shouted, for the first time since their trip through this hell had started tears welling up in her eyes. Anger and desperation were mingling in her words now, cutting straight into Shadow's heart and letting _him_ raise his voice as well, making him shout things he never, ever would have wanted his sister to hear.

"You're the professor's grandchild, Maria! They will kill you, too!"

"Yes," the blonde girl replied, her demeanour now strangely calm again, as if her own death was simply a factor she had figured into some sort of equation long ago already. "But without you, I would die anyway." _In so many more ways than one_, was what she didn't say, and they still heard it both.

And Shadow realized he couldn't win this. Except for one way, that he had sworn he would never, ever use – but now he had to.

"Maria," he said, red eyes a warning. "Go now, or I _will_ force you into that capsule."

"No," his sister replied, not looking at him as she shook her head. "You won't."

"Oh yeah?" Shadow shot back, advancing now, preparing to yank her, to lift her, to even break her arm if it only meant he could save her, protect her from dying. But then she looked back at him with a sad smile, and in her eyes was a world of pain.

"You forgot it again, Shadow," she said. "I'm a Robotnik, remember?"

And she shot him at point blank range.

OoO

Back in the present, Sonic was staring.

"She..._shot_ you? _Maria_ shot you?!"

Shadow by now was looking calmly into the distance, a hand of his absent-mindely brushing across a spot just the left of his chest fur and Sonic briefly wondered if that was perhaps where the gun had strafed him back then. The black hedgehog didn't seem to notice.

"It was a stun gun, as you may recall," he said, before turning his gaze to look straight at Sonic again. "But here you can see the length your loved ones may go to save your life when they can – and how far we will go to avoid the grief of being the one left behind."

The black hedgehog had spoken slowly, but deliberately, and a part of Sonic already knew what was coming next, but this time he didn't lash out angrily like he would have done before all this had started, instead bracing himself for the pain Shadow's words were sure to bring, but this time also accepting that they were true.

"Tails died so you could live, Sonic. And it was his choice, and he was glad to decide as he did."

It hurt. It hurt one hell of a lot, but this time, the blue hedgehog found he actually had the strength to reply.

"...yes. I think I understood that now," he said, breathing out heavily, before adding. "But he should _never_ have been forced to make that choice in the first place."

"No," Shadow agreed. "Neither he, nor Maria, nor any of us. But since he has, there is only way you can repay the gift he's given you."

Sonic nodded. "I know," he said. A moment of silence passed, but when he spoke again, it seemed as if something that was broken had finally started healing. Now the former hero of Mobius was almost smiling.

"...so finish your story so I can start keeping my promise to my li'l bro?"

OoO

Shadow woke with his head and chest hurting all over, but about his surroundings, very little had actually changed. He was still in the pod bay, even if the room now seemed kind of blurry around him. Alarms were still blaring, gunshots were...getting closer...

Shadow abruptly shot to his feet as he realized what was happening and how he had just been shot by his best friend. He collided promptly with cold glass.

_I am trapped. This can't be happening. _

It was as if a drill of pure ice had just erupted from the ground and impaled him all the way to his stomach. It felt as if the floor had dropped out and he was suffocating and burning in pure space.

It felt as if he was just about to watch his best friend die.

"MARIA!" Shadow flung himself against the bullet-proof glass with all his might as soon as he spotted his sister at the damaged console. She had just flipped a few switches that seemed to have initiated the launch sequence, the capsules all quietly humming now, warming up and getting louder. But she still had to have heard him, for she then turned around.

"Shadow! You woke up in time!" she exclaimed, seeming genuinely happy for a moment, though Shadow could tell even through the thick glass that she had to have been crying. "I...I'm glad. I wanted to say goodbye," she said, and when her voice broke, her brother felt as if his heart had just done the same.

"N..nnng...!" Shadow was trying to speak, to form a sentence, but it suddenly seemed impossible to express the bottomless despair he felt as words.

He could feel his legs already giving up on him, the Ultimate Lifeform collapsing to his knees as his hands slid down the smooth glass with nothing for him to hold onto any more. Outside, the apocalypse aboard the ARK continued, but Shadow's world had ended the moment he realized his sister would die.

"Shadow, please...don't cry..." Maria was speaking again, even if her own voice was now shaking so much you could barely make out her words. "Please, I beg of you...do it for me..."

"_But I don't want you to die_!" Shadow could hear himself yelling now, his larynx feeling raw and hoarse from the painful knot in his throat he was trying to choke back, and even if he knew he wasn't making any sense, he didn't care. Maria was going to be murdered and he couldn't do anything, and he couldn't break the capsule and get to her, because now that the launch sequence had begun all the capsules were locked and preparing to leave the ship, so there was no way he could get her into one of them now, and it wasn't fair and she was going to die and it _wasn't fucking fair-_!

And for the first time since his childhood had ended, the Ultimate Lifeform actually broke down crying.

"I...I had a happy life up here, Shadow, all thanks to you," Maria was saying now, and Shadow felt like her voice was the only thing he could cling to. His capsule was slowly starting to move now, turning to the left by only a few inches to get it into launching position, and he knew that as soon as it had finished, Maria would pull that lever. His head snapped back up and now he could see his friend _smiling_ at him, for likely the last time she would ever be able to.

"Grandfather hoped you could cure me, Shadow," she said. "You still can do that for people like me. You're a miracle, Shadow," she tried to keep going. "And now...all the people...on that planet..." her hand closed around the lever, her smile never leaving her face even if her eyes briefly squeezed themselves shut as the last of the Robotniks was fighting against the tears. "You can give them a chance to be happy..." She raised her free hand. "Goodbye...Shadow..."

Shadow wanted to scream, to shout, to yell at Maria that the only one he ever had wanted to save was _her_, but only managed some sort of strangled, corrputed noise that sounded like wordless anguish. And then, before he ever was able to say goodbye to his friend, the door broke down and suddenly, there was a soldier and his trained weapon facing them both.

"FREEZE! STEP AWAY FROM THAT LEVER!"

The rifle was clearly pointing at her, and this wasn't one of the models that even had a 'stun' setting. Shadow's capsule had stopped moving. As soon as Maria would pull that lever, Shadow knew it was a matter of seconds until he was hurtling away into space. The blonde girl glanced at the soldier, blue eyes wide and unreadable. Then her gaze flitted to her own weapon that she had brought, that now lay forgotten on the floor where she had shot Shadow, too far away to be of any help now. And finally she looked at her friend for one last time.

"Step away from the lever or I _will _shoot!" the man was yelling, his voice sounding like he was still young, perhaps the only reason he hadn't yet shot down the girl that must have seemed like a child to him. Maria closed her eyes.

"Sorry," she said, though it never became clear to whom those words had been meant. She pulled the lever.

The soldier fired. And Shadow screamed.

Just two words.

"_CHAOS CONTROL!_"

_To be continued..._

* * *

You thought I'd go out without a cliffhanger? ;) Hope you liked and if you read, please review! :D Also, just in case any of you are fans of the TV series _Supernatural,_ or the book _Good Omens_, I *just* started putting up a crossover, in case you're short of reading material at the moment :P Meanwhile, back from Japan in Europe and just nearly managed to accidentally kill myself in Switzerland, so...yay there's an update, right? ;p


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